George Whitehouse’s arrival in Mombasa was seen long before he knew about the port. This prediction was one of many by Giriama prophetess – Mekatilili wa Menza. He was described as one of the people who would be swallowed by the snake in reference to the railway. When Whitehouse landed at the port of Mombasa in 1895 it was to take over as the chief engineer of the first railroad construction that would link Mombasa to Uganda. He was responsible for designing the map of the station stop that would one day grow into our capital. The road named after him was originally known as the First of ten Avenues that came to define the city centre.
Ethiopia is one of two African states that was never colonized. Their resistance against the Italians was led by Emperor Haile Selassie and thus the nation never underwent colonialism. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta had been fascinated by this strong movement, more so by the emperor that led it and ensured that Haile Selassie was Kenya’s first foreign dignitary during the 1964 Jamhuri Day celebrations. While renaming a newly independent Kenya’s street names, Mzee Jomo honored the emperor by naming Whitehouse Road after him.
The road is presently called Haile Selassie Avenue