Embassy of the United States, Nairobi the suburb of Gigiri, across from the Office of the United Nations in Nairobi. The new embassy building was inaugurated on March 3, 2003 and has 402,100 square feet (37,350 m²) of floor space. Several threats shortly after its opening caused some closures in mid-2003 and in 2014, some staff from the embassy were relocated due to a possible security threat. The embassy is home to the US diplomatic mission to Kenya—diplomats and personnel representing United States interests in the host country, led by the United States Ambassador to Kenya. The US diplomatic mission to Kenya is working with the
History of Nairobi plague and the subsequent burning down of the original town. By 1905, Nairobi was a humming commercial center and replaced Mombasa as capital of the British East Africa. The city expanded, supported by the growth in administrative functions and in tourism, initially in the form of British big game hunting. As the British colonialists explored the region, they began using Nairobi as their first stop. This prompted the colonial government to build several grand hotels in the city for British tourists and big game hunters. Nairobi continued to grow under British rule, and many Britons settled within the city's suburbs.