Nairobi has been so synonymous with Kenya to the extent of earning a nickname ‘City under the Sun’. The word Nairobi originates from Maasai words Enkare Nyorobi which means ‘Place of Cool Waters’.
However, once upon a time, a city in California US, nearly took up the name of Kenya’s capital. The city, East Palo Alto was originally inhabited by African American Immigrants during World War II. The immigrants who were Costanoan/Ohlone Native Americans sought to take advantage of low-cost housing.
A report by the New York Times revealed that the area had few restrictive agreements, making it the best place for immigrants to settle. In the mid-20th century, jobs and pursuit of higher education brought the African American community into the area in droves.
Neighboring communities for these immigrants were San Francisco and San Jose which were more restrictive in terms of settlement. However, most of these settlers found jobs in these cities that were occupied by rich American natives.
East Palo Alto was majorly an unincorporated area governed by San Mateo County showing that the occupants had little impact on the policies governing their home area. Therefore, these residents suffered from heavy taxation to access county services such as water, sanitation and recreation. It wasn’t until 1983 when it officially became a city.
As part of the Black Power Movement surge in America during the late 1960s, black leaders in the East Palo Alto area attempted to rename the city as per African culture.
In symbolic gesture of the community’s wish to rise against segregation and inequality, they suggested three names: Nairobi, Kenyatta and Uhuru.
Stanford Daily reported that on April 4th, 1968, the East Palo Alto Municipal Council voted 3 to 1 in favor of the name to change and become Nairobi.
Efforts by the local leaders and residents proved futile after older African Americans in the area thought to themselves that the initiative would split the community along age lines. They also thought that the name was associated with living in a diminished place.
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The leaders persisted despite the setback. They established a college, a high school, a primary school, a bank and a local shopping center, all bearing the name Nairobi. These social services quickly gained traction among the community.
In September 1971, an international magazine issue noted that the Nairobi College offered 25 different courses, from physics to Swahili and even black legal studies.
In the late 1970s, the Nairobi Shopping mall in East Palo Alto began to decline due to cuts in state and federal funding.
The city deteriorated rapidly in the 80s, as drug addicts and homeless people occupied vacated storefronts. The Shopping mall’s remains were eventually demolished in 1989. The Mexicans and Pacific Islanders soon replaced African Americans as the demographic group.
East Palo Alto soon became arguably considered as the murder capital in America. However, today it is one of the safest communities to live in the US. For the first time in its history, the city had zero homicides in 2023.
