“The winner of the race is Hamisa!” Mr. Museo announced over the microphone.
It was our school’s sports day and our friend Hamisa was participating in the relay race. Abdi and Nyanchama were cheering for her. We were excited that she won.
Hamisa was awarded a trophy and a wrapped gift that was rectangular in shape.
“This present looks big, I wonder what it is,” Hamisa said as she sat and immediately unwrapped it.
“A book?”Hamisa asked, surprised.
“Not just any book, this is an encyclopedia about Nairobi!” Nyanchama said excitedly.
The cover had many images of different places in Nairobi like Nyayo House, the National Archives, and the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.
“Open it, let’s see what’s inside,” Abdi said.
A place of cool waters, the opening statement read as Hamisa flipped the page.
“I wonder what that means,” Abdi asked.
“That is the meaning of the word Nairobi, it used to be Nyorobi in the Maasai language which means the place of cool waters. It used to be a swampy area.”Nyanchama explained.
“So what happened to the swamp?”Hamisa asked.
“Prisoners would plant wattle trees or eucalyptus trees along designated roads and this helped get rid of the swamp by soaking up the excess water,” Nyanchama answered.
The next pages were filled with pictures of army barracks.
“This is Kabete off Waiyaki Way, here is Lang’ata, this one is Kahawa off Thika Highway, this one is Embakasi in Eastlands, and the creme de la creme, the main headquarters of the Kenya Defence Forces in Hurlingham.” Abdi pointed out.
“Wow Abdi, that’s impressive, you know all of them?’ Hamisa asked. “Yes my dad and uncles are in the army, the barracks are my home” he replied.
The next page had a huge title that said, Uhuru Park.
“ I love visiting this park, we ride boats on the lake, and my favorite is the merry-go-round rides,” Nyanchama said.
“I agree. On the boat rides, I am always looking out for the fish to swim next to us.” Hamisa added.
“Do you guys know the reason why Nairobi is our capital city?” Nyanchama asked.
“Because it is the centre. Here, look!” Hamisa beckoned the rest to look at the page with an image of a stone ball with white stars.
“It reads ‘Kenya’s Zero Point’ and it is between Kenyatta Avenue and the top of Koinange Street,” Hamisa said as she traced the line with her finger.