2/ During the pre-colonial times, Somalis were just about the only indigenous community with the experience and mastery of handling horses.
3/ In fact, Ret. US President Roosevelt tagged a platoon of Somalis (he called them 'native Mohammedanis') along with him in his post-presidential retirement hunting trip to East Africa. He wrote about the Cushitic community and how they related with other communities at Juja... 
4/ ...House, where he was hosted by Canadian-American tycoon William Northrup Macmillan, after whom Nairobi’s Macmillan library is named.
5/ "...most of the boys who took care of the horses, were Somalis, whereas the cattle keepers who tended the herds of cattle were Maasai, and the men and women who worked in the fields were Kikuyus.
6/ The three races had nothing to do with one another, and the few Indians had nothing to do with any of them.
7/ The Kikuyus lived in their beehive huts scattered in small groups; the Somalis all dwelt in their own little village on one side of the farm; and half a mile off the Maasai dwelt in their village.
8/ Both the Somalis and Maasai were fine, daring fellows; the Somalis were Mohammedans and horsemen; the Masai were cattle herders, who did their work as they did their fighting, on foot, and were wild heathen of the most martial type...” 
9/ In those days, a small corner of Nairobi, teemed with horses. This place was then known as Carrier Corps and played host to a cavalry regiment by the same name.
10/ Of course, over time Africans corrupted the phrase ‘Carrier Corps’ to Kariokor, which is what the place is called today.
11/ The foot and horse-borne Carrier Corps were tasked with transporting military supplies to frontline troops during WW1.
12/ As years went by, Nairobi got itself a racecourse around the same place Kariokor (I believe at grounds presently partly occupied by Pumwani High School sports track).
13/ This explains why we have Racecourse Road extending from the famous OTC bus stage towards Kariokor. We have Racecourse estate, too.
14/ And so Kariokor became a place that was synonymous, and abuzz, with horses.
15/ From here, Somalis employed to mind the horses would after sunset retreat to their small village nearby. 
16/ Gradually, their population grew. Few people took notice.
17/ And so, gradually, present-day Eastleigh became synonymous, and abuzz, with a growing community of Somalis.
18/ In his book, The East Africa Protectorate, Sir Charles Elliot (pictured), who became Commissioner of British East Africa between 1900 and 1904, described Somalis thus: 
19/ “(Somalis) contrive to be at the same time the wildest and most civilised of Africans. In race they are what, for want of a better word, must be described as Hamitic, and, though dark, are sharply distinguished from all negro tribes by their clear-cut and often beautiful...
20/ ...features. Some of the young men of the Biskaya section, whom I have seen near Lamu, might have posed as.....cast in dark bronze.
21/ When the Somalis come into towns they at once put themselves on the same level of civilisation as the Arab, wear white robes, and show a great aptitude for commerce, particularly cattle-trading. 
22/ In externals, they are ostentatiously devout Moslems, and they show a knowledge of European law, and a power of using it to their advantage, which is without parallel among the natives of East Africa, and is only rivaled among Indians.
23/ Also, they are very quarrelsome. But once back in their deserts, they appear to drop all these town habits, and show no inclination to raise their lives to a higher level of civilisation, but live as cattle-herding nomads, chiefly remarkable for the extreme lightness of...
24/ ...their baggage and celerity of their movements.
25/ Added to this, they are characterised by a pride, independence, and fanaticism most unusual in this part of Africa. It is to be hoped that in the future we may find some means of utilising this undoubtedly talented race. Hitherto, our dealings with them have not been...
26/ ...conspicuous for success, and have usually consisted of campaigns, lightly undertaken....”
