Eastleigh, Nairobi

Last updated

Eastleigh
Suburb
Eastlmall1.png
Eastleigh Mall, Eastleigh
Kenya adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Eastleigh
Location of Eastleigh.
Coordinates: 1°16′00″S36°51′00″E / 1.26667°S 36.85000°E / -1.26667; 36.85000
CountryFlag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
County Nairobi City
Sub-county Kamukunji
Area
 • Total6.9 km2 (2.7 sq mi)
Population
 (2019) [1]
 • Total152,484
 • Density42,330/km2 (109,600/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+3 (EAT)

Eastleigh is a mixed-use neighbourhood in Nairobi, Kenya. It is located east of the central business district. It is known for its business prowess as well as "its poor infrastructure. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Eastleigh was founded in 1921. At this time, it was formally called Nairobi East Township. While the colonial government originally tried to segregate citizens by race and ethnicity, failures at doing so in the Eastleigh neighbourhood more or less stopped the practice under colonial rule, so class became the general segregating factor afterwards. [4] The colonial government allotted Nairobi's residential estates by race, and Eastleigh was targeted for Asians and elite Africans who worked as clerks, builders, or shoemakers. [5] Eastleigh was originally a large Kenyan Asian enclave until independence in 1963. In recent years, the suburb has been dominated by Somali immigrants. [3]

Military

Eastleigh Airport (Moi Air Base) is located in the northern part of Eastleigh. The base was the site of the British Royal Air Force base known as RAF Eastleigh. The dual-use facility was also the main civilian international airport in Nairobi for the period 1943–1958 before the opening of the new airport at Embakasi (since named Jomo Kenyatta International Airport). [6]

Since 2012, the neighbourhood and various areas across Kenya have experienced a number of terrorist attacks linked to the Al-Shabaab militant group, which were launched in retaliation for the Kenyan military's deployment of troops in southern Somalia against the insurgents. [7]

Administrative divisions

Administratively, Eastleigh is divided into Airbase, Eastleigh North, and Eastleigh South. It contains the California and Maina Wanjigi neighbourhoods. The whole of Eastleigh is under the sub-county of Kamukunji.

In addition to California and Maina Wanjigi, Eastleigh is further partitioned into three areas:

The postal code for Eastleigh is 00610 [8]

Economy

A Somali store owner in Eastleigh Eastlstkp2.png
A Somali store owner in Eastleigh

Eastleigh is mostly inhabited by Somalis, except for a few indigenous residents. [3] The suburb's commercial sector is likewise dominated by Somalis, with most businesses owned by the Somali community. [3]

Businesses in the suburb range from small stalls to shopping malls and night lodges. Products are typically imported from Mogadishu and Dubai, and include designer clothing, jewelry and even camel milk. Starting in late 2012, a mass exodus of Somali residents was reported after a prolonged period of harassment by the Kenyan police and public. Hundreds of Somali entrepreneurs withdrew between Sh10 to Sh40 billion from their bank accounts, with the intention of reinvesting most of that money back home in Somalia. The collective departures most affected Eastleigh's real estate sector, as landlords struggled to find Kenyans able to afford the high rates of the apartments and shops vacated by the Somalis. [9]

Schools

There are a lot of schools located in Eastleigh and it's vicinity, they include;

Notable residents

Somali entrepreneur Hussein Mohamed, Vice Chairman of the Eastleigh Business Association Eastlhusmoh7a.png
Somali entrepreneur Hussein Mohamed, Vice Chairman of the Eastleigh Business Association

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nairobi</span> Capital and largest city of Kenya

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to 'place of cool waters', a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper had a population of 4,397,073 in the 2019 census. The city is commonly referred to as The Green City in the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Somalia</span>

Transport in Somalia refers to the transportation networks and modes of transport in effect in Somalia. They include highways, airports and seaports, in addition to various forms of public and private vehicular, maritime and aerial transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mogadishu</span> Capital and the largest city of Somalia

Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia, and has an estimated urban population of 2,610,483. Mogadishu is located in the coastal Banadir region on the Indian Ocean, which unlike other Somali regions, is considered a municipality rather than a maamul goboleed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jomo Kenyatta International Airport</span> International airport in Nairobi, Kenya

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, is an international airport serving Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. The other three important international airports in Kenya include Kisumu International Airport, Moi International Airport and Eldoret International Airport. JKIA is located in the Embakasi suburb 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Nairobi's central business district, the airport has scheduled flights to destinations in over 50 countries. Originally named Embakasi Airport, the airport's name was changed in 1978 after Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first President and Prime Minister. The airport served over 7 million passengers in 2016, making it the seventh busiest airport in passenger traffic on the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aden Adde</span> 1st president of the Somali Republic (1960-67)

Aden Abdulle Osman Daar, popularly known as Aden Adde, was a Somali politician who served as the first president of the Somali Republic from July 1, 1960 to July 6, 1967. He previously served in the Somali Youth League In 1944. In 1946, he was named Secretary of the party's section in Beledweyne, Somalia. In 1951, the Mudug Regional Council appointed him for the Regional Council, and two years later, he became Vice President of the Regional Council. From 1954 until 1956, he was the President of the Somali Youth League. He was re-elected in May 1958, and he continued to hold this position simultaneously along with that of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly until 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moi Air Base</span> Military airport east of Nairobi, Kenya

Moi Air Base, formerly known as RAF Eastleigh and Eastleigh Airport is a military airport located to the east of Nairobi, in the Eastleigh suburb. The airport is used by the Kenya Air Force. Additionally, the airfield is the home of the East African School of Aviation run by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, which was established at the airport in 1954 as the DCA training school. The airport is also used to train Kenyan Air Cadets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Express Airways</span> Somali airline

African Express Airways is a Somali-owned Kenyan airline with its head office at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Embakasi, Nairobi, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Union Mission to Somalia</span> Peacekeeping mission

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implement a national security plan, train the Somali security forces, and to assist in creating a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian aid. As part of its duties, AMISOM supported the Federal Government of Somalia's forces in their battle against Al-Shabaab militants.

Parklands is a neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya. It is divided into numbered avenues. The name arises from the proximity of the area to City Park, Nairobi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westlands, Nairobi</span> Neighbourhood in Nairobi, Kenya

Westlands is a mixed-use neighbourhood in Upper Parklands in Nairobi. Located 3.0 kilometres (2 mi) from Nairobi's central business district, it sits on the westerly areas of the larger Parklands area of Nairobi.

Mohamed Qanyare Afrah (Somali: Maxamed Qanyare Afrax, Arabic: محمد افراح قنياري} was a Somali faction leader and politician who was based south of Mogadishu in the Daynile District. He came in third position in Somalia's first election as a federal country on 10 October 2004 and was subsequently appointed minister of public security in the government of Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi, He served as minister of security in 2006 but was dismissed after ignoring calls by the Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi to stop fighting forces of the Islamist Courts. He continued to participate actively in Somali political affairs being reelected to the first post transitional federal parliament of Somalia as a member of parliament, he resigned from his seat representing his clan in the summer of 2013, his seat in the Federal Parliament of Somalia was taken over by his son Cabdiweli Mohamed Qanyare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Somalis</span> Italian community in Somalia

Italian Somalis are Somali-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Somalia during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Somalia. Most of the Italians moved to Somalia during the Italian colonial period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Hill, Nairobi</span> Place in Nairobi City, Kenya

Upper Hill is a neighbourhood of the city of Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. The district has seen an increase in major construction in recent years, with several multinational corporations setting up offices.

Wajir Airport is an international airport in Wajir County, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somalis in Kenya</span> Kenyan citizens and residents of Somali descent

Somalis in Kenya are citizens and residents of Kenya who are of Somali ethnic descent. They have historically inhabited the North Eastern Province, previously called the Northern Frontier District, which was carved out of the Jubaland region of present-day southern Somalia during the colonial period. Following the civil war in Somalia that broke out in 1991, many Somalis sought asylum in the Somali-inhabited enclaves of Kenya. An entrepreneurial community, they established themselves in the business sector, particularly in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yusuf Hassan Abdi</span> Kenyan politician

Yusuf Hassan Abdi is a Kenyan politician, diplomat, social activist and former journalist. After working many years with the United Nations, he joined the Kenya parliament as a legislator in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali–Kenyan conflict</span> Long-term armed struggle between Kenya and Somalia

The Somali–Kenyan conflict has been an issue within Kenya since the colonial period. Problems have ranged from skirmishes between the two communities and have led to terrorist attacks, police harassment, extortion, home invasions, physical violence, and massacres perpetrated against Somalis and Kenyans.

Said Jama korshel, also known as Said Qorshel, is a Somali politician. He served as the Minister of Air and Land Transport of Somalia from January 2014 to January 2015.

Mohamed Ali Nur, popularly known as "Ambassador Americo", was the Somali Ambassador to Kenya from October 2007 to April 2015. He was also a candidate in the 2017 Somali presidential election.

Jimi Richard Wanjigi is a Kenyan businessman and political strategist.

References

  1. ↑ "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume II: Distribution of Population by Administrative Units". Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. p. 251. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Nairobi County". NiElect. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Kenya/Somalia: Somalia community doing booming business in country Archived 2011-02-16 at the Wayback Machine - Norwegian Council for Africa
  4. ↑ Murunga, Godwin Rapando (1 August 2012). "The cosmopolitan tradition and fissures in segregationist town planning in Nairobi, 1915–23". Journal of Eastern African Studies. 6 (3): 463–486. doi:10.1080/17531055.2012.696896. ISSN   1753-1055.
  5. ↑ Daily Nation, December 27, 2008: Roads are a mess, but memories of good times linger
  6. ↑ Pirie, Gordon: "Nairobi's airports -- windows on Kenya's colonial past and top-down planning".
  7. ↑ "Deadly blast 'shreds' bus in Kenyan capital". 14 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  8. ↑ Nash. "Nairobi Postal Code is 00100 - Complete List - 2023 [BEST]". nashthuo.com. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  9. ↑ Mohammed, Guled (9 January 2013). "Kenya: The Cost of Harassing Somalis Over Terror". The Star. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.