Changing perspectives: Nairobi Past & Present
What is more interesting than the permanence itself, is the lack of it. Everywhere you look, the signs of change glare at you. The vibrance, the matatus, the exhibition stalls, the billboards, the students, the hawkers the street preachers, you name it…
Before: The Khoja Mosque, Nairobi 1956
The Khoja Mosque on (then) Government Road & Swamp Road, Nairobi, decorated with light bulbs and Union Jacks for the visit of Princess Margaret in September 1956. The mosque was built in the Victorian British style to accommodate the colonial government of the day.
From the East Africa Railways & Harbours collection, ref. 2002/133/1/1/28. Copyright, Bristol Archives
After: The Khoja Mosque, Nairobi 2019
Khoja Mosque in the present day on the corner of Moi Avenue (formerly Government Road) and River Road (formerly Swamp Road). The building has remained unchanged.
Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
Past: Bata Shoe Shop, Nairobi, 1950’s
Newly fitted Bata Shoe Shop in an unidentified Nairobi street, 1950s.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/5/1/15.Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: Bata Shoe Shop, Nairobi, 2019
Bata Shoe Shop in Nairobi in 2019, this premises is in the Bazaar Building at the corner of Moi Avenue and Tubman Road. Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
Past: Government Road, c 1960
View of Government Road from Church House, c. 1960. The photographer Charles Trotter had his office in Cargen House at the corner of Government Road.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/5/1/2. Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: Moi Avenue, 2019
View of Moi Avenue in 2019 taken from Development House. Much has changed, but many buildings on the street remain. Kencom House, The Hilton Hotel, Uchumi House, the Reinsurance Building and I&M were unbuilt in 1960. The palm trees have grown much taller. The KICC roof is visible in the background of the RHS.
Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
Past: Gailey and Roberts Ltd, Nairobi, 1960.
Welding work on the body of a bus at Gailey and Roberts Ltd, 23 March 1960.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/1/34749. Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: Autoworkshop, Umoja, Nairobi, 2019
Repair work on a private car in Nairobi, June 2019. Dodi Setiq Garage, Umoja.
Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
Past: Royal Technical College, 1957
View of the four storey Royal Technical College, opened in 1956 and now part of the University of Nairobi. This picture dates from 13 October 1957.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/1/18651.Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: University of Nairobi, 2019
The Royal Technical College became a university college in 1961 and became an independent university, University of Nairobi, in 1970. It was the first national university in Kenya. The university has now grown in leaps and bounds. Notice the new University Tower on the left-hand side in the background and the fountain in the foreground.
Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
Past: River Road, Nairobi, 1956
View of River Road and pedestrians, May 1956.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/1/12252. Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: River Road, Nairobi, 2019
View of River Road and pedestrians, June 2019. The cityscape has changed, but some buildings remain the same. Bohra Mosque is visible in the background.
Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
Barclays Bank, Government Road, Nairobi, 1955
Barclays Bank on (then) Government Road, now Moi Avenue, 12 April 1955.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/1/8323.Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: Former Barclays Bank building, Moi Avenue, Nairobi, 2019
The owners of the building have changed, but the architecture has been retained, with one floor added. Around the bank the building density and heights have increased.
Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
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Past: St Stephen’s Church, Nairobi, 1954
Exterior of St Stephen’s Church, Nairobi, which was built as the “African Cathedral” and at one time had the largest congregation in Africa, 9 September 1954.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/1/6234. Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: St Stephen’s Cathedral, Nairobi, 2019
St Stephen’s Cathedral remains on the site at Jogoo Road although the cityscape around it has changed dramatically. Notice the new perimeter fence and the advertisement boards.
Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
Past: Hardinge Street from Torrs Hotel, Nairobi, 1952
View of Hardinge Street showing the old New Stanley Hotel, 9 November 1952 (with the rounded roof on the right-hand side). The statue of Delamere is situated in the roundabout.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/1/3213. Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: Kimathi Street, Nairobi, 2019
The old New Stanley Hotel has been demolished and rebuilt in a new style. The Torrs Hotel and the Delamere Statue and roundabout have been removed. The Torrs Hotel building is now occupied by Stanbic Bank.
Copyright: Chao Tayiana & Jones Waihenya
Past: The Jambo Boys, 1960
The Jambo Boys band playing at East African Records, Nairobi, 8 March 1960. Notice the huge double bass.
From the Trotter collection, ref. 2001/090/1/1/34611. Copyright Bristol Archives, UK
Present: The Nairobi Horns, 2019
The Nairobi Horns are a contemporary band that combine music styles like jazz, African rhythms, contemporary, hip hop and electronic music. In today’s Nairobi music scene the dress style is more informal and the hair styles very different.
Copyright: Jones Waihenya
Building Shared Futures
This exhibition emerged from Building Shared Futures a pilot project and collaboration between the University of Bristol, Bristol Archives, University of Nairobi, Technical University of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and the National Museums of Kenya. This project aims to consider how digital technologies can assist in sharing historical image collections between the UK and Kenya. We believe that these image archives have the potential to increase social justice, enabling citizens to participate more fully in writing Nairobi’s past and in imagining its potential futures.
In ‘Changing Perspectives’ we commissioned Chao Tayiana to revisit some of the sites that were depicted in the historic photographs to see what traces of the past are still visible in the city landscape.
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Seeking out the past in Nairobi’s present
On a cold Sunday morning in the middle of Nairobi’s central business district, the usual bustling chaos of this vibrant city reduces to a slow, steady harmonized lull. The city’s heart beats, just not as loud and not as fast.
