Nairobi is the African capital whose name comes from a Maasai phrase meaning “cool water” or “place of cool waters.” The phrase is commonly given as Enkare Nyirobi.
The name refers to the water found at the site of modern Nairobi, including the Nairobi River and nearby streams. Before the city developed, the area was associated with Maasai pastoralists as well as Akamba and Kikuyu communities. Its highland setting and reliable water made it a practical stopping place.
Nairobi grew rapidly after the Uganda Railway reached the area in 1899. What began as a railway depot, supply station, and workers’ camp became the headquarters of the railway and later the capital of British East Africa. Kenya retained Nairobi as its national capital after independence in 1963.
The city’s name is therefore not derived from a person or a colonial official. Nairobi is also known as the Green City in the Sun and is unusual among world capitals for containing Nairobi National Park within its metropolitan boundaries.