Lavington

Lavington is one of Nairobi’s upper-class neighbourhoods, and one of the oldest, having been established in the pre-independence days. It has its roots tied to the St. Austin Mission which was established in the area by the French Holy Ghost Fathers. The estate is named after Ralph Payne, a British political leader who hailed from Lavington in Wiltshire, England. Baron Lavington, as he was referred to, was governor of Leeward Islands in the Caribbean.

Lavington is a vast residential area that is bordered by Waiyaki Way to the north and Ngong Road to the south. To the east it borders Kileleshwa and Kilimani, while its western extents border Kawangware and parts of Kangemi.

James Gichuru Road (formerly known as St. Austin’s Road) traverses most of Lavington. It runs from its junction with Gitanga Road, popularly known as Stage 11, past Lavington shopping centre, all the way to its junction with Waiyaki Way, next to the ABC Place shopping centre. A drive along James Gichuru Road is an easy way of seeing Lavington at a glance.

At the heart of Lavington remains Lavington Green shopping centre. The shopping centre has been there for as long as I can remember, and, for a long time, consisted of less than ten shops and service establishments. There was the Post Office, a dry cleaning shop, and a well-stocked toy and gift shop that was run by an Indian man. There was also a snack shop run by an Indian that served the best meat pies and samosas that I have ever eaten anywhere. We used to buy a 300 ml Fanta soda there at 1 shilling and 80 cents in the early ‘80s. At the shopping centre there was also a Salisbury’s supermarket that sold expensive-looking chocolates and wines, among other things, an ice-cream shop that made me love the Lyons Maid brand, and a brightly-lit branch of Gilani’s butchery. Above the shops, at the shopping centre, was one floor of residential apartments. As a kid I always wondered what kind of people lived there.

The shopping centre had beautiful, grassy lawns that we played on as kids on our way from school. Adjacent to these grounds was the public bus stage which served as the terminus for the following Kenya Bus Service (KBS) routes:

• 47 to city centre via Gitanga Road, Argwings Kodhek Road, and Valley Road

• 47A to city centre via Gitanga Road, Chaka Road, and State House Road

• 48 to Huruma Estate via Gitanga Road, Othaya Road, Kileleshwa, Westlands shopping centre, and city centre

• 49 to city centre via James Gichuru Road, Waiyaki Way, Rhapta Road, and Westlands shopping centre

• 50 (the reverse of route 49)

Over the years, Lavington shopping centre has totally transformed in appearance, to become what is today known as the Lavington Curve. More commercial establishments have been added, such as the Kengele’s Pub and Barclays Bank. A six-floor office and commercial block known as the Lavington Mall has also been set up, completely altering the landscape of the area.

Within the vicinity of Lavington shopping centre is the Lavington United Church which has been a permanent feature of Lavington. The community church is run jointly by three denominations – Methodist, Presbyterian, and Anglican. Pastors from the church would come to us at Lavington Primary School to offer pastoral lessons on Wednesday mornings. The church also runs a nice little kindergarten.

Apart from Lavington shopping centre, Lavington also has another shopping centre known as Valley Arcade, which is located along Gitanga Road. The shopping centre has given the area the name Valley Arcade. Some people, particularly those who live in the neighbouring Kawangware Estate, call the area Bernard. The Methodist Guest House and Conference Centre is located in the Valley Arcade area of Lavington. The Valley Arcade shopping centre, which was actually bigger than Lavington shopping centre, has itself changed over the years. Though not as big as Lavington now, it has substantially grown with additions and extensions to the existing buildings.

Residential development in Lavington is mainly made up of single bungalow compounds. This is what you will find along roads like Convent Drive and O’Washika Road. In some parts of the posh estate, such as Amboseli Road and Gitanga Road, maisonettes and apartment blocks are rapidly coming up.

A number of foreign missions have their residences in Lavington, among them the Uganda High Commission, the Egyptian Embassy, and the Chilean Embassy.

Lavington is well-endowed with educational facilities. It has a myriad of both public and private schools. The two public schools in the area are Lavington Primary and Muthangari Primary (formerly known as Bernard Estate Primary School). The rest are private schools which include prestigious institutions like the Strathmore School, the Saint Mary’s School, Nairobi, the Loreto Convent School, Msongari, Saint Austin’s Academy, the Nairobi Jaffery Academy, the Rusinga School, the Braeburn School, and the Braeside School.

Lavington is served by Muthangari police station which is found along James Gichuru road, not far from the Saint Mary’s School. One of the tributaries of the Nairobi River runs past the area.

There are virtually no empty, undeveloped spaces in Lavington. Even with land prices in the region of 250 million Kenya shillings per acre, all of the prime land has been taken up, 95% of it to put up residential property. The little area left for expansion seems to be on the western side that borders Kawangware.

There is a variety of eating places in Lavington, both for fast food and for fine dining. These include Big Square, Adega Restaurant, Innscor Kenya, Pampa Grill, Peri Peri Grills, Monikos Kitchen, Subzone Restaurant, and Le Palanka, among others.

Lavington is one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Nairobi, if not the most beautiful. But why take my word for it? Take time to drive through and see this for yourself.

The junction of James Gichuru Road and Gitanga Road, popularly known as 'Stage 11'

The new shopping mall at Lavington shopping centre.

The Lavington United Church.

A new commercial block along James Gichuru Road.

A section of the old Lavington Green shopping centre showing some construction extension.

Residential houses in Lavington.