Mount Kenya Safari Club: Maintaining the Presence of British Prime Ministers and American Presidents

This now is the history of Mawingo which later became Mount Kenya Safari Club.

It happens to be one of the most fascinating historic properties at the foot of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second tallest peak.

Long before it became the famous Mount Kenya Safari Club, the property was known as Mawingo.

The story of Mawingo dates back to the 1930s, when Rhoda Lweinsohn, an American socialite and French aviator Gabriel Prudhomme established a home on the property.

The name Mawingo is derived from Kiswahili word ‘Mawingu’ which associated with clouds, having been inspired by the magnificent mountain landscape.

In 1948, hotelier Abraham Block acquired the property and transformed the former private home into an inn.

It was this small country retreat that would eventually become one of Kenya’s most famous luxury establishments.

The turning point came in the late 1950s.

During a hunting safari in the Mount Kenya region, American oil millionaire Ray Ryan visited Mawingo after an incident on the expedition. He was so impressed by the property that he invited his companions to join him there.

Among them was Hollywood actor William Holden, an Academy Award-winning star. Holden, Ryan and Swiss financier Carl Hirschmann became the men behind the transformation of Mawingo.

In 1959, they acquired the property and established the Mount Kenya Safari Club.

The transformation was extraordinary.

Contemporary TIME reporting described a 60-room clubhouse, a heated swimming pool, Turkish baths, massage facilities, fireplaces and other luxurious amenities.

The three owners said they had invested about US$1 million in improving the property, a remarkable amount at the time.

Over the following years, the club became an exclusive retreat for some of the world’s most prominent personalities.

Its visitors included Sir Winston Churchill, Bing Crosby, Conrad Hilton, the President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, among other celebrities, royalty and dignitaries.

William Holden’s connection with Kenya eventually became much bigger than the hotel.

His love for wildlife led him away from the hunting culture of his early African safaris and toward conservation.

In 1967, Holden and his friends established a conservation reserve and animal orphanage, beginning an important effort to protect the endangered mountain bongo, a rare antelope native to the forests of Mount Kenya and the Aberdares.

After Holden’s death in 1981, his conservation legacy continued through the William Holden Wildlife Foundation which was started by his widow, actress Stephanie Powers.

The foundation has supported environmental education, wildlife conservation, field trips and practical lessons in sustainable living.

The property’s location is another remarkable part of its story.

The Equator passes directly through the grounds, while the club sits at the foot of Mount Kenya with spectacular views toward the mountain.

This unusual combination of geography, history, luxury and conservation has helped make the property distinctive for generations.

Today, the property operates as Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club and shares its grounds with the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy and Animal Orphanage, continuing the connection between the historic hotel and wildlife conservation.

Its work includes efforts to conserve and reintroduce the endangered mountain bongo.

From Mawingo, a private home in the 1930s, to Abraham Block’s country inn, to William Holden and his partners’ exclusive safari club, the story of this property mirrors an important chapter in Kenya’s tourism, wildlife and conservation history.

And standing beneath the slopes of Mount Kenya, with the Equator running through its grounds, it remains a remarkable place where geography, history and conservation meet.