The Uganda Railway opened up British East Africa’s resource-wealthy interior for exploration and exploitation. The further the British progressed hinterland, the greater their desire to control and harness the resources. It was then decided in 1908 that railway branch lines be constructed to aid access to the hinterland. One particular region of interest for the British was the well-watered and high-yielding highlands of Central Kenya. So, a spinoff of the railway bound central from Nairobi was among the branch lines that were decided on. This rail was also intended to aid in the opening up of the northern frontier district of the colony. The area is present-day North Eastern Kenya.
The railroad was destined to kill many birds with one sling. Other than heading north, it was predetermined to pass by the fertile central highlands of Thika, Murang’a and Nyeri. This was to facilitate the movement of bountiful farm produce from the uplands to Nairobi. Additionally, a British troop base for the Kings African Rifles (KAR) had been set up in Nanyuki in 1902, and the railroad would be useful in the transportation of supplies to the base.
The Work Begins
With a feasible rail plan mapped in place, construction of a spin-off from the Uganda Railway commenced from the Nairobi Railway Station. And engineers were deployed on this mission.
The construction took place in phases. The first part of the line was the Nairobi to Thika phase which was completed in 1913. Subsequently, the next one which was the Thika to Naro Moru phase was completed in 1927.
In the same year, Edward Kenealy, the Legislative Council (LegCo) representative for Nanyuki presented a motion to the council. It implored the government to survey the areas to the north of the Nanyuki River. It also suggested the consideration of extending the railway from Naro Moru to Nanyuki. Edward cited that Nanyuki’s position as a civil and military town made it an important political town. This fact alone merited a railway line.
Edward’s proposal to the LegCo was received with open-mindedness and its approval didn’t take long to happen. This is because he had an established connection to the general manager of the Uganda Railways, who was a member of the LegCo. After deliberating on the proposal for some time, the general manager gave Edward’s idea the benefit of urgency. His move steered the motion on, and on 16th September 1927, it was passed that the railway line be extended to Nanyuki.
Informed by the initial plan for the railway to snake northwards, the development of the railway was expected to carry on to its intended destination. But in 1931, 262 km from the commissioning point in Nairobi, the rail came to a standstill at Nanyuki.
The End of a Rail
One account of the story claims that the belles of Majengo so enchanted the railway engineers in Nanyuki that they set aside construction to charm and be charmed. But every fire that is ignited with hasty and sizzling passion fizzes out in the wind to only be remembered by the char left behind. Trouble brewed in the paradise of the engineers and their ladies. The embittered estranged lover girls stole the railway navigation map that was said to have been in the lead engineer’s possession. With nothing to show them the route the railway line was to take, construction hit a deadlock. The railway came to its premature completion at Nanyuki in 1931. The event earned Nanyuki town the nickname Mwisho wa Reli (end of the railway).
The Great Controversy of the Lost Map
This tale only lived to be told for a few years. In July 2020, Laikipia land officials produced a map dated 1968 to disapprove of the fable of the lost map. They claimed that the map was the original one. They also cited that there were clear intentions to further the construction of the railway from Nanyuki to Meru and Isiolo.
Another version of the story maintains that the railway line was meant to end at Nanyuki. This is because the sole reason it was extended in the first place, was to cement Nanyuki’s position as a government town. This prevented it from being outshone by Naro Moru, the previous railway stop. It strongly overthrows the fable of the lost map. It implies that there was no map lost in the first place.
Despite all the controversy, the railway to Nanyuki accomplished more than its intended purpose. Besides transporting agricultural produce from the central highlands to Nairobi and supplies to troops in Nanyuki, it opened up the highlands for white settlement. Being one of the last pre-independence railway lines to be constructed, it is a distinct mark on the history of the becoming of our nation.
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