The global philanthropist whose heart lay in Nairobi

His full name was quite mouthful and could hardly ring a bell to many; His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV.

But to millions of people all over the world, he was simply the Aga Khan, or 'Commanding Chief', a hereditary title given to the 46th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, Hasan Ali Shah Aga Khan by Fath Ali Shah, a 19th Century monarch.

It was the late Queen Elizabeth who gave him Aga Khan the title "His Highness" in 1957, following the tradition of honoring his predecessors. 

In his death, the world lost one of the most famous philanthropists whose work touched every sector of life.

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In a world where true self-sacrifice is rare, Aga Khan stood out as a beacon of hope, kindness and boundless generosity. His contributions transcended boundaries, reaching into every sphere of life and leaving an indelible mark on communities.

From education to healthcare, environmental conservation to industrialisation, Aga Khan’s unwavering dedication and selfless spirit transformed lives and inspired countless others.

This is the story of a visionary philanthropist, whose legacy of love and compassion will forever be etched in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to witness and benefit from his extraordinary deeds. Yet, unlike many who give to be seen, the Aga Khan was hardly in the limelight, letting his work speak.

His Aga Khan Development Network was the vehicle that drove investments that include the Nation Media Group, the 19 Aga Khan schools in Kenya with an enrolment of 8,000 students, Tourism Promotion Services, the holding company behind the Serena Hotels, and Industrial Promotion Services, which was part of an effort to promote growth of the private sector and to create a critical mass of development activity that eventually gathered its own momentum.

Aga Khan also improved accessibility of financial services by expanding the Diamond Trust Bank and Jubilee Insurance Group.

In East Africa, and Kenya in particular, Ag Khan was at home, having known the region when it was still firmly in the grip of British colonialists. Post independent, he met and was feted by almost every leader in East Africa. In Kenya, he was bestowed the highest honour, The Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart by President Mwai Kibaki.

Yet unknown to many is the fact that born in Geneva, Aga Khan, together with his younger brother Prince Amyn, spent his early childhood in Nairobi, walking up and down the bougainvillea-clad downtown streets that had little human volume by then as the Second World War raged.

He was appointed in Tanzania to succeed his grandfather in 1957.

On October 22, 1957, just three months after his coronation as the 49th Imam, or the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community at the tender age of 20, Aga Khan visited Nairobi where he relieved his childhood memories.

His escapades in "The Green City Under the Sun" were recorded in Gujarati in a diary kept by Kaderali B Patel, who imparted religious training to Prince Karim Aga Khan and Prince Amyn.

“How beautiful your city is looking!” he said to an audience that included the then Colonial Governor Sir Evelyn Baring. “The decorations along the streets and here on this ground are truly magnificent. I remember Nairobi as a boy and most of you know how much it has changed since the war. Yet this is only a symbol of the still greater changes which are taking place throughout Kenya.”

At a State banquet in Nairobi in August, 2007, Aga Khan regaled his audience once more with what he called his “toto” days in Nairobi, including his encounters with the city’s ferocious wild animals from the Nairobi National Park that had a habit of visiting the family home near Government House, now State House. Nairobi Park had been gazetted when Aga Khan was 10 years old.

“When I speak of places that have played a major role in my life, no place comes to mind more quickly than Kenya. How can I ever forget our childhood house on Caledonian Road [now Denis Pritt Road] and the mega rhubarb I grew up the rain-water drain, or driving down the garden steps in the late Sir Eboo’s car? And how could I forget my brother’s despair when his pet bantam chickens were eaten one night by a visiting leopard?” he narrated.

His rabbits would suffer the same fate the following night.

In Nairobi, young Aga Khan tilled the small family garden, fetching water from the tap to propagate carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages and some maize, activities that instilled a love for hard work.

“I exercise my arms doing this job. Those people who do not exercise, do not work and are lazy, soon become weak,” he told his grandfather, Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan III and the 48th Ismaili Imam about the ethos that would define 65 years of shaping the development agenda across the globe.

As he addressed the Governor and other dignitaries 67 years ago in the midst of the Mau Mau rebellion, he spoke of how Kenya and the larger East Africa would undergo change through technology, then in its infancy.

“Kenya is developing fast and prospering today as never before in its history. If wise counsels continue to prevail, if the people here face their problems with mutual forbearance, still greater prosperity and expansion will lie before you. It is most important for the future of this country that the various races face these changes together and with mutual understanding,” he said.

He spoke the words against the backdrop of a construction site of what would become one of the largest and best equipped hospitals in East and Central Africa, the Aga Khan Hospital, now Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, which he stated “will be only one of many other ventures in which the spirit of partnership will always prevail”.

His parting words in Nairobi in 1957 ring true today as they were back then: “The years of development and change which lie ahead are certain to throw up many new problems. We should not be afraid of these. You will surely surmount them if you stand by your faith and meet your difficulties in the spirit of humility and tolerance that your religion demands of us. This is specially important for the younger generations who will have to carry the future on their shoulders.”