 |
| Nairobi National Museum |
 |
| The Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi |
 |
| Kapenguria Museum |
 |
| Kisumu Museu |
Nairobi National Museum is located at the Museum Hill, approximately
10 minutes’ drive from the city centre. It is accessible both by public and
private means. It was Built in 1929 and is the flagship museum for the National
Museums of Kenya, housing celebrated collections of Kenya's History, Nature,
Culture and Contemporary Art.Karen
Blixen in Nairobi is named after ‘Out of Africa’s’ heroine. The house is
still in its original form with photographs and oil paintings by Ms Blixen
adorning the walls. Kenya Railway Museum houses train carriages dating back to early
1900s. It is located in Nairobi off Uhuru Highway. Kabarnet Museum was a District Commissioner’s house located in
Baringo town in the Rift Valley. It was officially opened in 1996 and houses
material culture of the people of Rift Valley. Hyrax Hill Museum is located 4km from Nakuru town. It got its name
from its location’s abundance of hyraxes living in the rocks. It was
established in 1965 because of the significance of the area that was a
prehistoric settlement dating back to 3000years. It displays cultural exhibits
of the people of Rift Valley and excavations from archeological sites.Narok
Museum is one of the youngest Kenyan museums and is located in Narok town.
It displays artefacts of the Maasai people and other Maa speakers such as the
Njemps from Baringo, Ndorombos and the Samburus from Laikipia and Nyahururu
counties. Kariandusi Museum is
located along Nairobi – Nakuru Highway. It was founded in 1928 in an area
believed to date back to one million years ago. Kariandusi is known for
diatomite mining from which many archeological artifacts were discovered. Therefore the museum exhibits hand axes and
cleaver tools among others found by archeologists. Koobi Fora museum is located east of Lake Turkana and is a wolrd
leading prehistoric site. It exhibits fossils dating a-back 1 million years.Kapenguria Museum officially opened in 1993 and is located in
Kapenguria town. This is where the six founding fathers of Kenya were detained
for their struggle for independence. The building used to be a courtroom during
trials of Kenyan heroes and had a prison and a district commissioner’s house.
The museum today house cultural exhibits of the Cherangani and Pokot People,
newspapers and magazine articles of the MauMau movement. Kitale Museum was the first inland musem in Kenya and was opened in
December 1974. Located in Kitale town, its attractions include exhibits of the
Bukusu, Elgon Maasai, the Luo and Turkana. Kisumu
Museum, located within Kisumu City, it was opened in 1980. Its exhibits
include an outdoor snake park, a fresh water aquarium, tortoise pens and
culture of the local people.Jaramogi
Museum is located at Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, the home of the Late
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga who was Kenya’s first vice president and father to the current
Prime Minister Raila Odinga. He once was refered to as the father of opposition
politics in Kenya. Basicaly here you get to experience the life of Jaramogi. Displays
include Odinga’s briefcase, clothes and ceremonial hats. Gede Museum is located in Kilifi County. It once was a settlement
founded in the 12th Century until the 17th Century when
it was abandoned due to hostile neighbouring communities. From a 1940
Excavation, many remains religious, cultural and commercial structures,
including imported chinese and Islamic porcelain, glass, shell beads, gold and
silver jewellery, coins and local pottery were found.Lamu Museums; Lamu is the oldest Swahili town in Kenya. Most of its
attractions date back to the pre-colonial period. You can’t talk of Kenya’s
tourism industry and fail to mention Lamu. The town and Island at large is home
to some major tourist attraction sites and events, see MagicalKenya. Lamu has four museums namely;
- Lamu Museum
- German Post Office
- Lamu Fort Enviroment
Museum
- Swahili House Museum
 |
| Lamu Museum |
Lamu Museum was built in 1891 by the Al-Busaidy Family and later
taken over by the British Colonial government to house senior government
officials. Today it houses a wide collection of rare ethnographic material from
the Swahili, Orma and Pokomo communities. Like many other buildings in the
Island, it is characterized by 18th century Swahili architecture.The German Post Office was a private
residence built in the 19th Century. It houses traces of contacts
between Germany and Kenya, which show postal services existed between the
two.Others include;Takwa Ruins,
managed by Museums of Kenya located in Manda Island and; Siyu Port, further in
Pate Island. Siyu was a Swahili settlement
dating back to 15th Century. It was built by a Siyu leader called
Mohammed Ishaq bin Mbarak bin Mohamad bin Oman Famau to resist domination by
the Omani Arabs.
