- There was a time when Donald Avenue was the only real street in Nakuru. It was the nucleus around which everything else grew. Today, Kenyatta Avenue carries that legacy forward as the city’s busiest and most iconic street.
If you ask anyone in Nakuru for directions — whether you want Woolmatt, Westside Mall, or Gilani’s, the answer almost always begins with “ukitoka Kenyatta Avenue…”or “uko Kenyatta Avenue…”. The street is the city’s compass point, the place people use to orient themselves no matter where they are headed.
Kenyatta Avenue, was originally known as Donald Avenue. There was a time when Donald Avenue was the only real street in Nakuru. It was the nucleus around which everything else grew. Today, Kenyatta Avenue carries that legacy forward as the city’s busiest and most iconic street.
Nakuru began as a railway stop when the Uganda Railway reached the Rift Valley in 1900. The station sat at a central point between Mombasa and Kisumu, and workers, traders, and settlers quickly clustered around it. What started as a small siding grew into a bustling town.
By the 1920s, Donald Avenue had emerged as the main thoroughfare. Named after Colonel Donald, a colonial administrator, the street became the heart of Nakuru. Shops, offices, cinemas, hotels, and bakeries lined its edges. In 1929, traveler Allister Macmillan described Nakuru as a “charming town” where community thrived — residents gathered in cinemas and hotels, sports lovers filled the golf course and racetrack, and businesses flourished.
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After independence, Donald Avenue was renamed Kenyatta Avenue, honoring Kenya’s first president. The name changed, but the street remained Nakuru’s beating heart.
What Kenyatta Avenue Looks Like Today
Kenyatta Avenue now serves as Nakuru’s commercial and civic hub.
Commerce: Westside Mall, Woolmatt, Naivas, and Cleanshelf anchor the retail scene. Gilani’s Restaurant and bakeries continue the food traditions that began nearly a century ago. Petrol stations, butchers, and garages still echo its early trading character.
Civic Life: County offices, the Old Town Hall, and utility offices like KPLC and NAWASSCO sit nearby. The avenue often hosts protests, rallies, and civic gatherings, making it a stage for public life.
Hospitality: Hotel Merica stands tall as one of Nakuru’s most famous landmarks. Clubs, plazas, and suites like Shiv Plaza and Avenue Suites add to the nightlife and accommodation options.
Transport: The avenue connects directly to Mburu Gichua Road and other feeder streets. It remains pedestrian‑heavy, alive with hawkers, matatus, and the constant buzz of street life.
Kenyatta Avenue is not only a place of commerce and leisure. It has also witnessed moments of struggle. In July 2024, journalist Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki was shot while covering anti‑government protests along the avenue. The incident reminded Nakuru that its main street is both a place of community and a frontline of civic confrontation.
The avenue also carries memories of everyday life. Before closing in January 2021, Tuskys Midtown stood proudly on Kenyatta Avenue, serving thousands of shoppers. Its closure marked the end of an era, but new chains like Naivas and Cleanshelf quickly filled the gap.
From its beginnings as Donald Avenue to its modern life as Kenyatta Avenue, this street has always been Nakuru’s anchor. It is where directions start, where businesses thrive, where politics play out, and where memories are made.
From Donald Avenue to Kenyatta Avenue, Nakuru has always found its center here. When you think of this street, what comes to mind first?
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