Oserian

Oserian (Masai, "Place of Peace") is a large area of land on the south shores of Lake Naivasha, Nakuru County, Kenya.^[1] Oserian's wildlife corridor is more than 1.6 km (1 mi) in width and reaches the lake. It occupies more than 6 km (4 mi) of shoreline.^[2]

One of the significant landmarks in area is the Gin Palace (later, Djinn Palace) which was originally a country estate, the Moorish-style mansion was built in 1927 by Major Cyril Ramsay-Hill,^[3] a rancher, former officer in an Indian regiment, and sometime Hollywood actor. It was based on his grandmother's home in Seville, Spain.^[4] The crenellated and domed building features minarets, and contains an "inner courtyard, fountains, squash court, swimming pool, and polo grounds".^[5]

During the colonial era, the Djinn Palace was "where things usually were very lively" for the Happy Valley set, according to Ulf Aschan.^[6] It was built for Ramsay-Hill's wife, Molly (née Edith Mildred Maude; 1893–1939), who had an affair with and later married Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll.

In 1969, Oserian was established as a small vegetable growing farm.^[7] In 1982, it became the first flower farm on Lake Naivasha and was once one of the largest flower farms in the world^[8]. The flower farm and its business was divested in 2021 to Bohemian Flowers.^[9][10]

Oserian’s first geothermal power plant was a binary plant commissioned in 2004 followed in 2007 by the construction and commissioning of a second geothermal power station.^[11] The reorganisation of Oserian resulted in its primary business now being energy production (geothermal and solar energy).^[12][13]

• Charles Hayes, Oserian - Place of Peace, Rima Publications, 1997 (ISBN 9780969426523).