Restoring Nairobi to “A Place of Cool Waters”

Abstract

Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, prides itself on its arboretum and its variety of parks and open green spaces. Directly translated from Say Maa, the language of the Indigenous Massai people, Nairobi means “cool waters” in reference to the cold stream flowing through it. Yet due to a host of challenges – including pollution and deforestation – the paradisiacal reference to Nairobi seems long forgotten.