TBT Floods all over edition
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Makupa temporary and permanent bridges.
The original Makupa Bridge was also known as the Salisbury Bridge. Named after Lord Salisbury who was British Prime Minister from 1895 to 1902 (and previously from 1885 to 1892).
The history of Bridges in Kenya stretches before the colonial times when the indigenous community would use tree logs and rock boulders or rock fill across ‘unfriendly’ sections of the footpath. The ‘unfriendly’ sections included swamps, rivers and gorges. The crossing points along the footpaths largely followed the narrow crossings and where the banks were stable like where the river/ gorge bank has rock outcrops would be preferable.
During the colonial times the same crossings were mostly improved to modern bridges. Others were found stable with capacities to handle vehicles. Some of these timber bridges are to date found within the forest zones like around Mt. Kenya especially in Nanyuki region.
In coastal areas due to the wide crossing waterways a system of floating bridges was used. An example is the Nyali bridge which was a floating pontoon bridge linking Mombasa Island to the Kenyan mainland.
The bridge linked the Mzizima district of Mombasa to Nyali, and was built in 1931.In 1980, the bridge was superseded by the New Nyali Bridge (located approximately 0.55 miles (0.89 km) to the north), leaving the steel bridge to be dismantled for scrap. The western (Mombasa) approach to the bridge is the only remaining part of the bridge but one of the pontoon mooring anchors is on nearby display at the Tamarind Restaurant.
The Makupa Causeway which links Mombasa Island to the Kenyan mainland. The road runs for approximately 2.4km between the Magongo roundabout and Makupa Roundabout. The causeway dissects Tudor Creek to the east and Port Reitz Creek to the west. The road on embankment replaced the ocean bed crossing that was only used during the day when the tides are low or by use of boats when the tide is high.
partly sourced from: https://www.kenyaengineer.co.ke/
Kilindini habour in 1896.
Kilindini is an old Swahili term that means "deep". The port is so called because the channel is naturally very deep. Kilindini Harbor is an example of a natural geographic phenomenon called a ria, formed millions of years ago when the sea level rose and engulfed a river that was flowing from the mainland.
The Kilindini harbour was inaugurated in 1896 when work started on the construction of the Uganda Railway.
Kilindini is an old Swahili term that means "deep". The port is so called because the channel is naturally very deep. Kilindini Harbor is an example of a natural geographic phenomenon called a ria, formed millions of years ago when the sea level rose and engulfed a river that was flowing from the mainland.
The Kilindini harbour was inaugurated in 1896 when work started on the construction of the Uganda Railway.
1953, Makongeni, Nairobi. East African Railways and Harbours flats for Africans. Showing a completed first block and blocks two and three under construction.
Many things happened in 1937, two years to the end of World War I in which over 44, 000 Kenyans died while serving as career corps. In England for instance, the coronation of George VI at Westminister Abbey meant Kenya as a colony was also ruled by him. Among the changes taking place in the country were plans for housing estates east of the ‘Native Stadium’, now Nairobi’s City Stadium.
They included Kaloleni, Shauri Moyo, Bahati, Mbotela, Makadara, Ofafa Maringo, Ofafa Jericho, Ofafa Jerusalem and Ofafa Kunguni. But first off the concrete blocks, was Makongeni estate at a time when Joseph Mortimer was Mayor of Nairobi.
Concrete Utilities Ltd was awarded a tender to erect Makongeni as temporary housing of African bachelors working for East African Railways & Harbours, now Kenya Railways. Makongeni and other estates like Lumumba were never meant for family set-ups.
Mayor Mortimer’s Council hived off over 140 acres for Makongeni and Nairobi Town Clerk WW Ridout wrote to Concrete Utilities on December 27, in 1945 outlining that Makongeni should have a row of “20 blocks each comprising five quarters per block at Sh3 per foot super, complete.”
The walls for the estate famous as ‘Okongo’ were to be of thrice-ply woven papyrus mats with bituminised hessian on forest pole framing, while the floors were to be of four-inch murram laid on 12-inch of consolidated hard core.
Construction continued even as architect James Ward, Esq, left. He was “unable to continue on the present salary basis” for the Railway African Quarters project, which was pegged at £30, 000 (Sh4.2 million at current exchange rates) for 3, 700 units, which Town Clerk Ridout considered “impracticable until other major questions have been settled.”
Ridout debated the Straight Line principle that was eventually abandoned in favour of Cottage style dwellings. “The Municipal Council certainly intends to explore the advantages of buildings of more than one storey (due to economy in land) and will be happy to pass on any information on the subject,” he wrote.
In a letter dated October 9 1945, Ridout explained the reason for the changes (why most of the houses are single-rowed). Chief Engineer Ogilvie considered that “this Council has hitherto no experience in housing Africans in double-storey dwellings other than the quarters at the Nairobi Fire Station.”
The Superintendent of Native Locations took a supervisory role of Makongeni, an estate that had to accommodate interdependence with Kaloleni, Bahati, Kariokor, Pumwani, Shauri Moyo and Ziwani on account of drainage, sewerage and the relations of residents to their workplaces where they would report using the 100ft Jogoo Road ‘diving’ through.
Other considerations were Welfare Centres, shops, street lighting and recreation. The City Council’s Native Affairs Committee set aside “20 acres south-west of the Railway Makongeni Estate for a playing field,” said a report that also stipulated that the standardised rents for a one-room house be reduced from the monthly Sh10 to Sh5 accomodating one, single man each.
Three men sharing were to fork out Sh9 a month.
The well off lived in Kaloleni for Sh18 a month. Those higher up in the financial food chain holed up in Ziwani where three rooms went for Sh30.
Railway signal operators and drivers lived in Landi Mawe and Muthurwa, but Makongeni was for middle-level workers of the world who enjoyed fresh air inside their neatly hedged quarters.
article written by: KAMAU MUTUNGA for https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/
View in Nairobi Game Park of a lion near a Ford estate car. Acacia bush in background. A juvenile male lion pads behind a crowded saloon car on the open country plains. According to an original source, the woman turning around in the passenger seat is Princess Elizabeth, on her visit to Kenya in February 1952.
Masked Titan
Senior Lister
Wonder how long it took to complete the journey from Nairobi to Kampala