Down memory lane: End of an era as Hilton shuts its doors

Hilton Hotel in Nairobi. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

A little over 100 years ago, the open plain that came to be Nairobi City was nothing more than a grazing and watering point for Maasai cattle. That was even before the arrival of the Uganda Railway, or more derisively, the 'Lunatic Express'.

Fast forward to 70 years later and Nairobi had become a global metropolis, with the tallest buildings in East and Central Africa dotting the skyline.