There was no thought of making Nairobi anything more permanent than just a halt on the line. It was far too unhealthy. The swamp extended from the present Boulevard Hotel to Racecourse Road and was a strong breeding ground for malaria. Smallpox had already driven the Masai away from the area, and the moisture-retaining black cotton soil south of the river made sewage drainage a near impossible task. The place was useful for railway purposes, certainly, but no one in his right mind would ever choose to live there. Or so the authorities reasoned.
