The Nairobi That Was

My first port of entry and where I have been for the last couple of days in Kenya is Nairobi. When I grew up, I used to really look forward to coming to Nairobi as it is the capital and centre of all that happens in the country. It is where all the skyscrapers are, where the Parliament, Supreme Court, stock exchange, central international airport, best hospitals are all based, and so it has always been central to any business that one needed to undertake.

View from my hotel room

I remember being very excited about the idea of coming to Nairobi and walking with my dad (he would always hold our hands) around the city centre. And one of my favorite things was always to end up going to a restaurant where we would all share some chicken and french fries (Nairobi has the best of these and I have to be honest, I always make sure that I have some whenever I am in town). There are so many things that fascinate me about Nairobi and I thought that I would write about some of them:

The traffic

When I was much younger and would come to Nairobi, I was always scared of the thought of getting knocked down by a vehicle (of course it never happened) but also very fascinated by the number of vehicles that used the roads. What is more fascinating is that the same roads that were used during the colonial times are the same ones that have continued to be used (people have built on road reserves and there is no way of expanding the roads). The one thing that I have noticed since I have been here is how many Chinese companies are building roads and general road infrastructure. We can only hope that this will help with the traffic.

But beyond the traffic, it is amazing how people drive in Kenya. The mini bus taxis never completely stop for you to board or alight, drivers always create two or three extra lanes on roads that are supposed to have only two lanes, drivers are constantly hooting at each other, and pedestrians cross the roads in the most haphazard way. When I was young, all these were true but it seems like they have got worse over the years with increasing numbers of people immigrating to Nairobi and there being many more cars on the road.

Traffic in Thika Road

A Tuk Tuk
http://chatter-fest.com/ 

Today, I had the opportunity of riding in a tuk tuk. I have always wanted to ride in one just to get the feel of it but by the time we arrived at my destination, my sister and I had already vowed we would never get into another one and were holding our hearts on our hands. It was the most heart wrenching thing that I have done in a while and my adrenaline levels were much higher than they have been in a long while. These things (the vehicles) have only two wheels and they drive them in between cars, and on pathways that should never be ridden on (adventures of Nairobi).

Advertisements

Many years ago, Kenya only had one broadcaster, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and when we had a dictator for a President, he obviously dictated what was shown on TV (never the true stories about anything). Now, there are more than 5 broadcasters that are accessible by a majority of the population. And with this comes competition and a diversity in the programs broadcast. One thing that has been very fascinating for me is how informative advertising is embraced by most of the broadcasters. Ever since I have been here, I have seen highly creative adverts on the importance of using condoms to prevent HIV and STIs, those urging men to stop having multiple partners, those providing information to Kenyans on the country's Vision 2030, and I even saw one where the National Anthem is sang (and it’s amazing what that does to people’s degrees of patriotism). It’s also amazing how many Mexican soap operas they have in Kenya and how people are so hooked onto them.

A much cleaner Nairobi

There is such a change in the state of cleanliness in Nairobi. When I visited Nairobi when I was much younger, the city was so littered and a general lack of orderliness was very apparent. Now, the city is clean, there are not as many street children as there once upon a time was, plants and trees have been planted across the streets, the street names are clearly marked and there are even clean public toilets (of course one has to pay for this service but its worth it) as well as demarcated smoking areas in the city. It seems like the City Council has also realized the importance of celebrating fallen heroes and I was happy to see the statute of the late Tom Mboya, a prominent politician post independence erected in the middle of Nairobi and very well kempt.

Designated smoking area

There are many things that still need to be sorted out in Kenya but there is definitely a noticeable change in the state of infrastructure in and on the outskirts of the City. It is important for us, the citizenry, to continue to demand for better services and we may be surprised by what our governments provide us (staggered timing notwithstanding). As I prepare to depart from Nairobi to visit my rural area, Kitui, I leave disillusioned but also very optimistic about change in this country and the continent at large (a change in one country is a change in the continent).