Kenya Youth Hostels

Kenya

The initiative for the launching of the youth hostel movement was taken way back to early 1957, when a past president of the International Youth hostel Federation, the late Mr. E. St. John catchpoll visited Kenya and induced certain socially active personalities to start it in Kenya. Most of those people are no longer with us. Among them were people like Sir Godfrey Rhodes, Dr.L.S.B. Leakey, Mr. Edmund Crosher, Mr. Musa Amalemba, Hon. Jeremiah Nyaga, Mr. G.S, Amar, Sir D.Q. Erskine and Mr. Acharya. They took up the challenge and asked the then Kenya Federation of Social Services to convene a meeting to make suggestions on the possibility of starting a Youth Hostel Association here.

The first party was convened by this Federation on Monday 29th April 1957 (our foundation day) and met in Armstrong house, Delamere Avenue (now Kenyatta Avenue). Nairobi was under Mr. D.Q. Erskine's chairmanship.

This, in effect was the founding of the Kenya Youth Hostel Association (KYHA). These early efforts received a tremendous boost when through the good offices of Mr. St. John CatchPool, $1500 was donated to KYHA ad-hoc committee in 1959-60 by the Dulverton Trust. This donation assisted the committee in efforts to develop a good network in Kenya in those early days as it was not enough to purchase any significant building.

In 1966, the then Minister for Health, Hon. John C.N. Osogo, who at the time was the chairman of KYHA convinced the International Youth Hostel federation that KYHA was not only alive and kicking but that it was able to fulfil the minimum conditions required to affiliate with the parent body. Then, Kenya, on the same year became part of the International Youth Hostel Federation.

In 1976, KYHA bought an old house on Ralf Bunche road through funds that were generated from membership fees and overnight collections as well as from the kind support of the International Youth Hostel Federation, The German Youth Hostels, YHA of England, Wales and the Kenya Government.

The hostel, which still stands, became the secretariat and has been redeveloped to match the International Standards.