‘Kilometre Zero Nairobi" Story Behind Monument Used to Measure Distance from Nairobi

Whenever you say you are a certain kilometres from Nairobi city, do you know which specific point is the distance calculated from? do you know which part of the capital city is referred to as distance zero or ‘” KILOMETRE ZERO”

Tucked in between Teleposta towers and Caxton house in the junction of Kenyatta Avenue and Koinange street, the Galton Fenzi monument is an important national monument that many city residents seem not to pay attention to or its significance.

The memorial stone is an important historical and longitudinal monument especially in calculating the travel distance to and from Nairobi city.

Constructed in the year 1939 as a memorial to Lionel Douglas fenzi, the first person to drive from Mombasa to Nairobi city in the year 1926 who was also the founder of the automobile association of Kenya AAK.

Engraved on its side walls it is the distance to other cities and towns in the country is indicated. the distance from Nairobi to Kisumu 400 kilometers, Nairobi to Nakuru 177 kilometers, and Nairobi to Eldoret 368 kilometers.

Also engraved according to the compass directions are distances to other cities in Africa like juba, Kampala, and Pretoria.

This means whenever one calculates the distance to the place they are coming from or going to Nairobi, this is where the distance starts and stops away from the belief that it in other landmarks in the central business district.

So next time you tell someone you are how far from Nairobi, you should know that the Galton fenzi memorial stone is the determiner of the distance.