Wajir Today | Sunday, 7 September 2025
Nairobi’s Jamia Mosque, one of East Africa’s most iconic religious landmarks, today marked 100 years since its foundation stone was laid, celebrating a century of history, resilience, and vision.
The mosque, located at the heart of Nairobi’s bustling Central Business District, was first envisioned in 1902 by Maulana Sayed Abdullah Shah, a respected Muslim scholar. When granted a choice of land by the colonial government, he selected what was then an uninhabited swamp, predicting it would one day become the centre of a great city—a foresight fulfilled as the capital grew around the mosque.
Though the vision was conceived in 1902, construction did not begin until 1925 due to colonial restrictions on land ownership and financial constraints. Funds were raised through appeals across East Africa and even from as far as Durban, South Africa. The mosque’s Mughal-inspired design was crafted by Scottish architect William Landels, modelled after the grand mosques of Delhi and Lahore.
The foundation stone was laid in September 1925 by Maulana Sayed Abdullah Shah, with further milestones marked by Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III in 1926. After years of painstaking construction using stones imported from India and carried by hand from Nairobi Railway Station, the mosque was completed in 1933. Its grand opening, led by the Sultan of Zanzibar, brought together Muslims from diverse communities, symbolising unity across the region.
For decades, Jamia Mosque has stood as both the tallest building of its time and the largest mosque in East Africa. It has since undergone expansions to accommodate Nairobi’s growing Muslim population, remaining a beacon of worship, culture, and heritage.
As it enters its second century, Jamia Mosque continues to embody the vision, resilience, and unity of the Muslim community in Kenya and beyond.
