"I commend the critical task that Ese and Ese have given themselves; that of highlighting African life by detailing housing patterns, cultural lives, and everyday practices in ways intended to decenter the colonizer. Ultimately, the authors have managed to "encourage people to reflect on the fact that this is indeed their city, and has always been so;" a supportive endorsement of Nairobi’s primary city making communities who, from 1920 to the present, continue to find the post-colonial eviction bulldozer at their door." —Wangui Kimari, Africa Is A Country"This is a welcome addition to the literature on the history and planning of Nairobi, with wider relevance to urbanization in Africa and the global south. A particular strength of the research is its extensive primary source material, some not easily accessible, including archives, local newspapers, individual memoirs, and novels, which results in a thoroughly executed urban history, with a strong chronological progression through the period 1899-1960." —Robert Home, Planning Perspectives