There were 2 cinemas (Regal & Majestic) in Mombasa in 1944

 There were only 2 cinemas in 1944!! note how multi racial and multi faith the community was!

excerpts of a description of Mombasa and the cinemas from http://asmrb.pbworks.com/w/page/23143131/Pulp%20Mombasa

from the Seamen's Guide to Shore Leave, 1944:

Population 42,000

Hotels for Officers. MANOR, Salim Road, Tel. 112, rooms 15/50 up. PALACE, Killindini Road, tel. "Palace", rooms 15/- up. REX, Killindini Road, tel. 319, rooms 15/- up.

Seamen's Homes. SEAMEN'S INSTITUTE (Missions to Seamen, London), temporary quarters Killindini Road, tel. 262. Shower, canteen, reading and writing rooms, library, billiards, table tennis. THE SERVICES CANTEEN, tel. 432. Restaurant, lunch counter, reading and writing rooms, library, table tennis, concerts, dances, cinema, etc.

Seamen's Bank. Consult Port Captain, dock area.

Legal Aid. American Consulate, through the Provincial Commissioner.

Hospitals. European Hospital (whites), tel. 561. Native Hospital (colored), tel. 550.

Venereal Disease Clinics. At the hospitals (8 a.m. to 12 m.).

Physicians. Medical Officer, European Hospital. Dr. W. N. Sargent, Native Hospital. Dr. J. H. Chataway, Native Hospital.

Dentists. C. E. Thomas (dental surgeon), tel. 921.

Laundries. European Laundry, Killindini Road, tel. 209.

Amusements. Moving pictures: Regal; Majestic.

Points of Interest. The town itself. Fort Jesus, 16th century.

Caution: Not a "pay off" port. Seamen who miss their ships are subject to penalties provided by law. Tropical helmets should be worn because of great heat.

American Consulate: At Nairobi, 400 miles.

Most of the policemen are Sikhs; the railway staff, crane operators, and other "technical" people are largely Indians. Small shops are run by Arabs; larger shops and markets are run by Chinese, Goans, Persians, Indians, etc.. There are Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches, Hindu temples, mosques, etc

Local languages in Mombasa: English, Swahili. Arabic, Chinese dialects, Portuguese, Hindi, Farsi, etc. are used by immigrants and traders. Out of the 40,000 persons in Mombasa in 1932, "... 900 were Europeans, 6,000 were Arabs, 12,000 Asians, and 20,000 were Africans." Back in 1918, the total population was only 30,000, with only 230 Europeans

The Regal Theatre was constructed in 1931, on Salim Road.

Mohamed Rafi performed at the Regal Theatre, Mombasa 1956/57!!

 quote from Letters to the Editor Awaaz:

https://www.awaazmagazine.com/.../letters-to-the-editor

"Reading the varied and fascinating contributions on the Indian Cinema theme brought back some further memories. Ameer Janmohamed, in his ‘Romance of the Regal’ (extracted from his book) writes that the Regal Cinema had a stage behind the screen that was often used for live shows. I remember going to a musical concert by Mohamed Rafi and his ensemble visiting from India, in around 1956/57. This was the first time I had been to anything like that. Seeing them sing and play the various instruments, especially the electric guitar, made a huge impression. It was an exciting performance to a cheering full house."

photos:

Rafi on a 2003 stamp of India

Rafi on a 2016 stamp of India

Mohammed Rafi at the Mother India (1957) premiere

Mohammed Rafi in Nairobi