In 1945, Hyrax Hill was designated as a national monument, and it was opened to the public in 1965. This occurred due to Mrs. Selfe’s great relic finds and later archaeological excavations by Dr. Mary Leakey in 1938, which revealed significant findings in various site regions and levels of habitation. The late Mrs. Selfe owned the property. The renovation of the archaeology display was made possible by the Kenya Museum Society’s generous financing and the British Institute in Eastern Africa’s consultation in partnership with Kenya’s National Museums. Because it covers various settlement eras, the hill is of exceptional significance; it also has a long history of archaeological exploration, dating back to 1937 with Mary Leakey.
The Site I was excavated in 1937 by Dr. Mary Leakey, who revealed evidence of late Iron Age habitation in a series of rough stone enclosures and several burials. According to Sutton, this material dates from the late Iron Age and is approximately 200 years old (Sutton, 1987). Leakey also discovered a far older occupancy layer, dated from the Late Stone Age, during the 1937 dig. Several burials were found, and the area is now known as the “Neolithic mass grave” on museum signs.
In 1938, Dr. Mary Leakey excavated Site II and incorrectly linked the Sirikwa occupancy levels to pre-Iron Age material on Site I and the Nakuru burial site.
This Site was gazetted as a national monument on November 26, 1945, after the unexcavated areas of the Site were recognized as significant archaeological riches in 1943.
Ron Clarke continued his excavations on Site II and the southern burial Site I in 1965. A small museum was constructed in the farmhouse previously held by Mrs. A. Selfe.
Dr. Onyango Abunje excavated the region adjacent to Site I in 1973–74 and found primarily late Iron Age materials, including two Iron Age pits and burial mounds.
Dr. John Sutton re-investigated Site II in 1986, and during that time, three Sirikwa dwellings were discovered. Dr. Sutton ended by claiming that Site II is unrelated to Site II and is Iron Age, dating from the second millennium’s middle decades.
Governance
Hyrax Hill is a regional museum run by the National Museums of Kenya, whose Director-General is Dr. Mzalendo. Hyrax Hill is currently staffed by 12 people, with the curator serving as the chief accounting officer. Hyrax Hill Museum’s Curator is Ms. Lilian Amwanda.
The museum’s structure
The structure was once a farm home built around 1900–1910 and donated to the National Museum of Kenya by the late Mrs. Selfe in 1965. The design is rectangular and has a veranda on the south side. It is accessed via a 4.8 m wide straight stairway with five steps leading to a patio and then into the main gallery via a projecting porch part of the building’s center area. This structure is separated into three chambers/galleries, the largest in the center. The building is flanked on the back by two rooms that serve as the Curator’s and Education offices, respectively.