Kaloleni, Nairobi Explained

Official Name:Kaloleni
Pushpin Map:Kenya
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Kaloleni in Kenya
Coordinates:-1.2953°N 36.8447°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Kenya
Subdivision Type1:County
Subdivision Name1:Nairobi City
Subdivision Name2:Makadara
Area Total Km2:0.6
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:16761
Population As Of:2019
Population Density Km2:30257

Kaloleni is a residential neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi. It is approximately southeast of the central business district of Nairobi. It is one of the oldest estates in Nairobi, having been completed in the 1940s.

Location

Kaloleni is located approximately southeast of Nairobi's central business district. It is straddled by Jogoo Road to the south. It borders other neighbourhoods such as Makongeni and Industrial Area.

Overview

Following recommendations by Sir Charles Mortimer, who chaired the African Housing Committee (AHC), conception of Kaloleni began as early as 1927. Its initial stages of the estate's design was greatly influenced by Garden City Concept, although the final blueprint was informed by the template created by American urban planner Clarence Perry based on his concept, the Neighbourhood Unit.[2] The estate was built in the 1940s by the Italian prisoners of the war. The bungalows were built of stone, roofed with Mangalore tiles, and floors finished with cement screed.[3]

Kaloleni Social Hall was completed with the same design as the bungalows but was bigger. It is at Kaloleni Social Hall that social and political meetings were convened in an effort to push for independence.[4]

Kaloleni was completed in the 1948 and gifted to World War II veterans, the King's African Rifles.[5] The neighbourhood has remained relatively unchanged but the houses have become dilapidated and in need of renovation. Kaloleni residents have put up informal extensions, and rented them out for extra income.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume I: Population by County and Sub-County . KNBS . 22 April 2023 . 249.
  2. Web site: Kaloleni: a Kenyan Garden City - INTI - International New Town Institute . 2022-11-23 . www.newtowninstitute.org.
  3. Web site: 2020-12-25 . Kaloleni Social Hall: From Kenya’s first Parliament to just an eyesore . 2022-11-23 . Business Daily . en.
  4. Web site: Kareithi . Amos . Kaloleni Social Hall: The theater of Kenya's struggle against colonial domination . 2022-11-23 . The Standard . en.
  5. Web site: Samora . Mwaura . Eastlands is ‘ushago’ for three Nairobian generations . 2022-11-22 . Standard Entertainment . en.
  6. Web site: 2020-06-29 . Kaloleni where the mighty once lived . 2022-11-23 . Nation . en.