Sunday, August 4, 2024

The Regal Theatre owners that had a road named after them!!

 Who knew!! I just discovered that in fact there was a road in Nairobi called Valli Hasham Road in the early 1960s. It extended from Grogan Road to Cross Road. See screenshots of a copy of the 1965 Kenya Gazette below.

Valli Hasham & Co owned the Regal Theatre in Mombasa in the early 1930s. The company was an importer and wholesaler of goods in Kenya from the beginning of the 20th Century.
The 2 brothers that started the company were Valli Hasham (1885-1937) and Janmohamed Hasham (1885-1931) (see photos below).
I came across this description of Valli Hasham: He opened Kenya to Indian trade and immigration. He helped many families settle all over Kenya. He was considered a pioneer and was the leader of the Ismaili and other Indian communities. He died in Nairobi July of 1937.Valli Hasham Road was named in his honor

Photos:
top photo: Valli Hasam
next photo: Janmohamed Hasham with the Governor of Kenya (1930s)
bottom2 photos: Kenya Gazette

    

    
                                                                                



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