The first police station in Kenya was built over 100 years ago in Mji Wa Kale, also known as Old Town, in Mombasa County.
The police station was adjacent to the Fort Jesus which served as the prison, while the current Mombasa Court of Appeal served as the court.
The historic building which hosted the station and also served as a bar is currently on sale with it’s conditions worsening as the days go by.
According to Allawy Abzain, a Mombasa based historian, Old Town was among areas in Mombasa where most people settled.
Speaking on Citizen TV, he explained that the area also served as the headquarters of among other installments the port of Mombasa.
Old Town was also home to high ranking officials of the colonial government.
In the course of human settlement in the area, the colonial government built a police station in the area which appeared to be the first one in the country.
This followed the establishment of a court.
“The police station was built here because all economical activities of Mombasa was done in Old Town. As such, the colonial government saw the need of establishing a police station,” Abzain said.
Notably, the arrival of the British colonists in Kenya in the 1880s marked the introduction of the police service.
The idea of setting up the station started earlier when the colonialists would hire security guards to look after their businesses.
It was then when they thought of establishing a police station in 1898.
The police officers recruited were under the command of British police inspectors. Their task was to protect trade routes, trade centres, stocks and their staff.
Abzain noted that establishments surrounding the building that hostess the police station has a historic past.
“Adjacent to the station is Fort Jesus which served as the prison. Next to Fort Jesus is the court; it was easy for the law enforcers
“You’d be arrested, taken to the police station, then the court and finally locked up at the prison,” the historian explained.
Fort Jesus served as the prison until 1958.
The police station was abandoned in 1915 when Central Police Station was constructed. The building then served as a bar dubbed, Nazareth Bar.
While the building is currently on sale, Abzain has urged the government to buy the building in a bid to preserve its history.
“It’s saddening… This building has a lot of history. It’s not a regular building. I’m urging the government to buy this building,” he added.
