The making of Nairobi city from marsh land to Metropolis

Torr's Hotel at Kenyatta Avenue and Kimathi Street junction, 1950s. [File, Standard]

Back in the days when there was no capital city in Kenya and cash was scarce, the government went on a borrowing mission.

So urgent was the mission to transform Nairobi that had started off as a collection of tin shacks and tents in a marshy area patronised by hyenas and lions that all its assets were offered as collateral to secure a loan.