Welcome to Old Africa

your window into East Africa’s past.

Old Africa books

Old Africa books are well-told stories in the same tradition as the shorter pieces

our readers have come to enjoy from the pages of Old Africa magazine.

After two decades in print, Old Africa is now fully digital and free for all! That’s right: zero shillings, endless stories. Yes, we’ll miss the smell and feel of fresh paper too — and to our loyal subscribers who’ve stacked us proudly on bookshelves, we thank you for your loyalty. The stories stay rich, the history stays deep — only the format has changed.

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Who was Freddy Ward?

Who was Freddy Ward?

Who was Freddy Ward? The name Freddie or Freddy Ward crops up so repeatedly in the early land dealings of East African settlers that it is worth finding out about the man behind the name. Like many of the early white settlers, Hamilton Frederick Ward fought in the...

The Sandbach Bakers and Kenya’s First Dairy

The Sandbach Bakers and Kenya’s First Dairy

The Sandbach Bakers and Kenya’s first Dairy One of the first white settlers to be given land in Nairobi was Frederick Baker. He was granted 1,600 acres in Muthaiga by John Ainsworth, the Sub-Commissioner, on condition that he supplied Nairobi with dairy products. Who...

Mombasa’s Law Courts

Mombasa’s Law Courts

Mombasa’s Law Courts   On 30 August 1984 the new Law Courts were opened in Mombasa, but where had justice been dispensed beforehand? A British court, presided over by an English barrister, had been established in a godown near the old harbour in Mombasa in 1890,...