Kahawa is a suburb and civic ward of Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

. The ward is part of Kasarani Constituency

Kasarani Constituency

Kasarani Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of eight constituencies of Nairobi Province. It consists of northern and northeastern areas of Nairobi. Kasarani constituency has common boundaries with Kasarani Division of Nairobi. The entire constituency is located within...

. Kahawa is located in the northeastern outskirts of Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

, along Thika Road .

It was the site of a British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 base before Kenya's independence and now hosts the Kahawa Barracks of Kenyan Army . The Kenyatta University

Kenyatta University

Kenyatta University, located in Nairobi, Kenya is the second largest public university in the country . The University is located in Kahawa, about from Nairobi's city centre, along the Nairobi-Thika road.- History :...

 is also located in Kahawa . Kahawa was also home to Nakumatt

Nakumatt

Nakumatt is a Kenyan supermarket chain. Nakumatt is an abbreviation for Nakuru Mattresses.-Overview:, it has twenty-seven stores across Kenya and employs over 4,000 people...

 Thika Road outlet, but it was demolished in 2008 to pave way for road construction .

The word kahawa has an Arabic etymology, and means coffee in Swahili

Swahili language

Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...

.

Kahawa lies to the north of Githurai

Githurai

Githurai is a slumburbia in Nairobi,Kenya. It is in the Eastern part of Nairobi, about 12 km from the city centre. Its population likely exceeds 300,000 persons.About half of Githurai is in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi county while the other half is in Juja Constituency of Kiambu county...

, a Nairobi suburb and settlement along the Kenya-Uganda Railway. Geographically Kahawa extends beyond Nairobi borders to Ruiru

Ruiru

Ruiru is a town in the Thika District of Kenya’s Central Province. Located within three kilometers of Nairobi's city boundary, Ruiru is a dormitory town for the nation's capital, and is connected by both rail and road...

, containing the estates of Kahawa Sukari (literally coffee with sugar), Kahawa Wendani and Mwihoko.