Dan Okwiri
Penning my journal. The story of how the Jews started the hotel and entertainment industry in Nairobi begins with the arrival of European settlers in Kenya in the late 1800s. In the mix too a small group of Jewish immigrants arrived in Nairobi, then a small British colonial outpost in acacia verdant thorny East Africa. They settled in an area that would become known as “Jewish Quarter,” which was located in the current day neighborhood of Eastleigh, now predominantly a Somali suburb. Among them were a few Jewish families who had fled anti-Semitic persecution in Europe and saw Kenya as a place of opportunity. Many Jews also settled in South Africa too.
Amongst the settler immigrants in Kenya, a man named David spotted an opportunity to start a hotel business to cater to the growing number of European settlers and traders in the area. He purchased a small plot of land on River Road, a bustling street in downtown Nairobi, and built a hotel that he named after his wife, Sarah. Sarah Hotel quickly became a popular destination for European travelers, with its cozy accommodation and warm hospitality, it was a hit in lit. David’s success candled other Jewish immigrants to swim into the hotel business, and soon, River Road became known as the “Jewish Street” due to the high number of Jewish-owned hotels and businesses.
One of these Jewish families was the Sassoons, who were seeded from Baghdad but had migrated to India in the 19th century. In the early 1900s, members of the Sassoon family began to move to Nairobi, then a small town in British East Africa. They sensed that the British settlers thirsted for goods and services, and capitalized on this by opening a general store and importing goods from India where they had connections, and Europe. The Sassoons quickly became successful and expanded their business to include a department store, a bank, and real estate company. They also webbed to invest in agriculture, bought large swathes of land and grew coffee & tea.
As Nairobi bloomed into a cosmopolitan city in the 1920s and 1930s, the Sassoons nosed an opportunity to enter the hotel and entertainment industry. They opened the swanky New Stanley Hotel in 1902, which quickly became the premier hotel in Nairobi. Ahead of its time, New Stanley hotel had all the modern amenities of the time, including electricity, hot and cold running water, and even an elevator! A rare novelty!
The New Stanley Hotel was a popular gathering & watering spot for the British expatriate community, as well as wealthy Africans and Asians after independence. New Stanley is a national monument, the site of many important political and social events, including the signing of Kenya’s first constitution in 1963. The hotel would be later be bought and taken over by Mr Kariuki, a younger brother to Mr. Kanyotu Kenya’s first & long serving Director of lntelligence who headed Special Branch and Mr Vohra from the Sikh community. There brand was known as the Sarova group. Which owns 8 luxurious hotels that includes Sarova Whitesands in north coast, Panafric, Sarova Imperial in Kisumu, and many top notch lodges.
The Sassoons also entered the entertainment industry by opening the Cameo Cinema in 1912. The cinema is ionic being the first in Nairobi and became a popular destination for moviegoers of all backgrounds. The owners of the building are said to be part of the extended Kenyatta family. Over time, other Jewish families joined the Sassoons in the hotel and entertainment industry, including the Block and Cohen families. The Blocks are known as the pioneers of the regal Norfolk Hotel. As the hotel & tourism industry grew, so did the demand for entertainment.
Other Jewish entrepreneurs nosed the opportunities too, and began opening cinemas and theaters, providing entertainment for both Europeans and Africans. One such theater was the Metro Cinema, located on Tom Mboya Street, which was owned by a Jewish businessman named Jacob. The Metro Cinema was a popular destination for Nairobi residents, who came to watch the latest Hollywood movies and enjoy the theater’s air-conditioning, a luxury in the city’s hot and humid climate. Jacob later opened a 2nd cinema on River Road, further cementing the street’s reputation as the hub of Nairobi’s entertainment industry. The downtown river road area had many of Asian ancestry residing. Many Kenyans today wouldn’t be caught dead in River Road, it’s a hub of crime & seedy sardined packed of humanity in the wrong side of town.
A lot of the residents residing were from the Goan community, who were largely living in River Road and Eastleigh. It’s these Goans who built the Holly Family Cathedral now renamed Holy Family Basilica, in Eastleigh built the Saint Teresa church & school. Wuod Baba schooled at Catholic Parochial Primary in 1971. Almost all the teachers & students were Goan, they would walk from down town River Road where most resided to uptown CBD to school. The Nairobi of them days was safe & spanking clean city. The 1982 August coup was a watershed moment, a sad turning point for minorities.
Many Indian & Goan women raped who belonged to families I schooled with & their business plundered. There was an exodus of Indian community who resided in the city to other Indian suburbs like Parklands & Nairobi West. Thereafter begun the huge exodus of the Goan community from Kenya to Canada, USA & UK. There are very few Goans left in Kenya today. The Goan gymkhana their community club a pale skeleton compared to bustling yesteryears. It remains my favorite haunt for Indian curry when I visit the city.
The renowned Starlight disco on valley road was also owned by a Jew known as Jack Gaccun, situated where Integrity building stands, he also owned Park Inn hotel and real estate in Hurlingham. Starlight was the heart beat of the Nairobi’s entertainment industry in the 60s’ & 70s. The Szalapak family were the pioneers of the grand quaint Fairview hotel in upper Hill. In the public domain, the hotel has since been sold in a deal involving a joint bid between Actis and a private company registered in the British Virgin Islands called Jamison Valley Holdings. Filings at the Comesa Competition Authority show the hotels will be bought by Actis and Jamison Valley Holdings indirectly through Ukarimu real estate fund.
In Wuod Baba’s view, Fairview has always been the crème del crème of Nairobi’s boutique hotels. It’s woodsy interior, ambiance & greenery yet in the heart of the city breathtaking. It’s no coincidence that the Israeli embassy is located opposite Fairview hotel. The land the Israeli embassy is located allocated to it by the Jomo Kenyatta administration.
Among the first Israeli ambassadors to Kenya was the Somen family. They would play a major role in the corporate sector in Kenya. Whilst at KQ, I recall one of them serving as a KQ board director under our then Chairman Isaac Omolo Okero in the 90s’, a period when times were tough but KQ was dynamic & on the upbeat.
Although the Sassoons and other Jewish families have largely moved on from the hotel and entertainment industry, their legacy lives on in Nairobi. Together, they helped to gel Nairobi’s hospitality and entertainment scene into what it is today. The New Stanley Hotel is still a popular bubble for travelers, and the city continues to be a hub of hospitality and entertainment in East Africa.
The Jewish entrepreneurs’ success in the hotel and entertainment industries helped shape Nairobi’s early development, contributing to the city’s growth as a major tourist, commercial and cultural center in East Africa. Today, the legacy of the Jewish community can still be seen in the streets of downtown Nairobi, with the names of Jewish entrepreneurs adorning many of the city’s most iconic buildings and landmarks.
We are lost on our way forward, cause we are lost where it all started and who made us who we are.
#okwiri my journal, my thoughts, my walk… My book “Cleansing the Years” is available at Nuria Bookstore.
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