Zimmerman traces its origins from a German industrialist Karl Fritz Paul Zimmerman, who was the proprietor of a taxidermy factory known as Zimmerman Limited.[2][3] The grounds that Zimmerman now sits on were previously used by the taxidermy factory, that was launched in 1929 and closed in 1977, after the Kenyan government banned hunting.[4][5]
Zimmerman was initially zoned as an industrial zone and residential, with mixed residential development.[6] The neighbourhood has however increasingly gained a large population from residents from other parts of Kenya. It is a high-density, mixed-use residential area, due to its affordability for students and lower middle income to low income families.[7]
Zimmerman ward, an electoral division, borrows its name from the estate. Zimmerman is located within Roysambu Constituency, which encompasses other estates and neighbourhoods such as: Garden Estate, Thome, Ridgeways, Marurui, Kiwanja, Njathaini, Ngomongo, Kongo Soweto, parts of Kahawa and Githurai, Mirema, Kamiti, and Zimmerman.[8] Both electoral divisions are within the Kasarani Sub-county.