Just south of Nairobi, Syokimau is a neighbourhood with a rich history. It stems from the powerful Akamba prophetess that it is named after. The area is administratively a part of Machakos County but hosts a number of Nairobians who ply the 16 km route into the city. Although it is a well-established estate now, the area has changed drastically since the 1800s when the Akamba prophetess peered into the future and led her people boldly into it.
Syokimau the Prophetess
The power to foretell things to come has mesmerised society since time immemorial. For the extraordinary prophetess Syokimau, this power saw her predict a troubled future for her Akamba community in Masaku. Born in the 1800s, she prophesied that men with white skin would demand Akamba land and kill those who resisted with fire. She spoke of a snake slithering between waters spitting fire and smoke as it went.
The Akamba leader did not live to see her visions come to pass. But eventually, her premonitions materialised in the form of colonialists with guns and the Mombasa-Kisumu Railway.
Syokimau During Colonisation
After Syokimau’s death, the prophetess Syonguu – a fierce Akamba leader – named a village in the Ukambani land she presided over after the seer. She bestowed this honour out of respect for the prophetess’ prodigious prediction.
But Syonguu led in a time of turbulence. Ancestral lands in Ukambani were grabbed and converted into settlements for white Europeans and debilitating taxes were imposed on the Akamba people. As part of this, colonialists turned Syokimau into a ranch to take advantage of its semi-arid environment. In all this, the Akamba people, including those in Syokimau, were brutalised.
Syokimau Since
Shortly after Kenya’s independence, Syokimau Farm Limited was registered in 1965. The company owned the 4,000-acre land where Syokimau Estate now sits until it disbanded in 2013. In the 90s, residents could see the odd ostrich wander by or hear the call of a hyena. The estate initially began with single-family homes. It is hard to believe that the then bare expanse is now an area with a spate of commercial buildings.
The area is now the home of a commuter train that travels into Nairobi CBD – mainly to connect those who alight from the SGR to the heart of Nairobi. The Syokimau Railway Station fittingly bears the name and hosts the statue of the prophetess who predicted the coming of a snake years ago. The neighbourhood also boasts proximity to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Transport is not the only area where this neighbourhood has developed. The neighbourhood is a booming commercial hub. It even earned the Machakos County government a massive 60% of its total revenue as of 2018.
Tell us about your experiences in this unique area that blends suburbia and industry!
#MitaaYetu #Syokimau
