Originally established as a private museum by the late Colonel H. Stoneham, it was bequeathed to the NMK and later opened to the public. Its exhibits include the material culture of the peoples of Western Kenya, prehistory and natural history. A collection of the late Col. Stoneham's publications is maintained by the museum and can be consulted by special request. Thirty acres of museum land are dedicated to a Nature Reserve; this remnant of indigenous riverine tropical forest is home to the rare De Brazza monkey and a number of reptile, mammal and bird species.

A Swedish-sponsored Vi-Agroforestry Centre is based within the land at the Olof Palme memorial building. The biogas plant serves to illustrate the importance of alternative sources of energy in conservation. Also of interest at the museum are replicas of traditional homesteads of the Bukusu, Luo, Turkana and Elgon Maasai peoples. Guided tours of the Museum, Nature Trail and Agroforestry Centre can be arranged, and a well stocked shop sells locally made handicrafts.

Lying on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, Koobi Fora is one of the worlds leading prehistoric sites for the study of the evolution of man. In 1972 the area was gazetted as the Sibiloi National Park. The region is virtually uninhabited except for infrequent visits by nomadic groups such as the Gabbra; wildlife species such as oryx, gerenuk, Grevy's zebra and Somali ostrich can also be seen at times.

A unique wealth of prehistoric remains is found in an area approximately 90 km by 30 km extending from Ileret in the north to just south of Allia Bay. This site was first explored by a team from the National Museums of Kenya led by Dr. Richard Leakey. Many very important fossils have been recovered, including a skull of Homo habilis (KNM-ER 1470), one of the earliest recognised species of the genus Homo.
Since the mid 1970s this area has been the focus of an international Koobi Fora Field School programme in Palaeo-anthropology, now run jointly by Rutgers University and the National Museums of Kenya. There are also camping facilities which can be booked through NMK headquarters in Nairobi.

Lamu town is the oldest living Swahili town in Kenya, comparable to others such as Zanzibar in Tanzania. Founded around the 13th century, Lamu flourished as a maritime trading centre whose main population, the Swahili, engaged in international trade, fishing and farming. The architecture of Lamu is uniquely Swahili, with its narrow streets, storied buildings, intricately carved wooden doors and numerous mosques.

Lamu is also unique in that it is host to four museums, namely: Lamu Museum , Lamu Fort Environment Museum, German Post Office Museum, and Swahili House Museum. Lamu Museum can arrange guided tours to various archaeological and historical sites, whether to neighbouring Manda Island or farther afield to Pate Island, where the ruins of the earliest known Swahili settlement of Shanga – dated to the 8th century AD – can be visited.

Back To National Museums