The museum occupies a fort that had its construction commence in 1813 under the co-operation of then Sultan of Oman, Seyyid Said. The fort was completed in 1821, serving as a garrison for Baluchi soldiers.
Between 1910 and 1984, the fort exchanged hands as a prison to both the British colonial regime and the Kenyan government, before it was handed over to the National Museums of Kenya in 1984.
Weddings and meetings can be held in the courtyard, exhibitions on the ground floor whilst the upstairs' hosts administrative offices, laboratories and a workshop.
