In 1895, British diplomat Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge was promoted to a colonial head. Among his responsibilities was to oversee the construction of the Uganda Railway. By 1899, the railhead of the Lunatic Express had reached Nairobi. At the time it was merely a marshy area but marked as the centre point between Mombasa and Lake Victoria. While the railway engineers and constructors settled here briefly before proceeding on, there was slow but steady development. Among the first establishments was The Stanley Hotel, that opened its doors in 1902 on the street named for Hardinge.
In time the street was named after Mau Mau freedom fighter, Dedan Kimathi whose statue was erected at the lower end of the street in February 2007 commemorating the 50th anniversary of his death.
#StreetsOfNairobi