Archeologists Called as Mysterious Crucifix is Discovered Inside City Market in Nairobi

Traders at the busy City Market in Nairobi were on Monday left in puzzle after a mysterious crucifix was discovered underneath the facility.

The discovery was made by construction workers, who were digging out a section of the market to replace the dilapidated floor.

Archaeologists from the National Museums of Kenya were called to the site to ascertain the origin of the mysterious cross made from concrete.
 
“The museum’s team came and dug around the cross-slab which has some pipe points on it as onlookers pondered whether there was a cemetery beneath but they did not give us a concrete feedback on what really could be behind this cross,” Meshack Mbuthia, the Chairperson of City Market Stall Holders Association said.

There are suspicions that the cross, which does not have any writings, may have some historical significance.

Archaeologists who assessed the crucifix promised to revisit in the near future, where they will use ground-penetration radar technology to study the cross. 

“What we found is that it is made of solid granite and beneath it, there is another heavy concrete layer reinforced with heavy metal,” archeologist Dr. Emmanuel Ndiema told Nation.

He added: “We don’t know for sure whether it was an ablution block or its historical significance. We shall use ground penetration radar or portable CT scan to check the site,”

City Market was constructed in the 1930s as a European-only market, to replace the Jeevanjee Market, which was closed due to unhygienic conditions.

Its architecture resembles London’s Royal Horticultural Lawrence Hall and features a variety of African artifacts including carvings, drums, spears, shields, pumice stones, Maasai traditional jewelry, and clothing.