Nairobi- aka Nai-"robbery"

We decided to venture to Nairobi, Kenya to experience another yet another country in East Africa despite the many stories we heard about Nairobi being nicknamed “Nai-robbery” due to the frequent thefts. These warnings came from out professor back at Arcadia who is from Kenya and many of our friends both local and international in Arusha. We were told that people in Nairobi walk very fast to keep from being robbed. People told us not to carry any bags or a lot of money on you because it would get stolen. They also stated we should not talk on the phone when we are walking on the street because that would get stolen as well. Taxis and the matatus (public vans used for transportation) are not even safe b/c the robbers will climb or reach in the cars to steal things.

So with this knowledge, we boarded the shuttle from the local hotel that cost us $25 each way for the 8 hour from Arusha to Nairobi. The thing is that this trip should only have taken 4 hours but since the road is not yet perfected/ finished, you have to take many detours on bumpy, dusty, off the beaten path roads that make the trip twice as long as it should be. As we were traveling down the road it seems like someone just got tired, said forget about it and quit. As the shuttle detoured to the less developed road several things happened on the shuttle. First, people started closing the windows. The road is very dusty so if you leave the windows open, you feel like you are being suffocated by dust. After a while you have layer of dust on your skin that makes you appear a shade darker. As a result of all the windows being closed, it immediately gets a lot hotter on the bus as well despite the fact that we were told that shuttle had air conditioning. Like many things here, that air did not work or maybe they just have a different definition of air conditioning that I do, but either way, it was hot. This leaves you waiting and hoping that the detour will soon come to an end so that you can open the windows and get some air.

About half way through the journey, we arrived at Namanga, the town at the border of Tanzania and Kenya. We were cautioned here not to change money or buy things from the hustlers on the street. At the border, we had to be cleared by the Tanzanian authorities and then walk across the border to the Kenyan side to get out visas which only cost is $25. An Indian man who was on the shuttle with us, was harassed by some local guys who were demanding money from him and caused him to fall and injure himself. When I met up with him he was very shaken and did not know where to go so I just told him to come with us. He was shocked as to why someone would do that to him. One thing that I have been learned here from talking to more locals is that the perception of Indians in this country is somewhat mixed. Many of the locals that I have talked to seem to have this animosity towards Indians because of the way they treat locals and that fact that they monopolize on a lot of the local businesses. Many Indians though, actually consider themselves Tanzanians as many were born and raised here. There are even Indians who are members of the Tanzanian Parliament. It seemed that perhaps some of the frustration of the local people was taken out on this poor Indian guy that just wanted to get to the airport in Nairobi and get back home. After about an hour of dealing with the border authorities, we boarded the shuttle again and continued on our way.

We knew that we had reached Nairobi when we got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. The city was definitely a contrast to Arusha with the intense traffic and the fact that it has more than one stop light! Nairobi is a much more developed city in the sense that it does give you more of the urban feel similar to NY or Philly, especially in the downtown area. It was not as nice/ new as Kigali though. The people downtown all seemed to be in a rush and eager to get somewhere and there were many taller buildings (mini skyscrapers) and an open market in the center of town. We spent about an hour at the market and it proved to be a somewhat overwhelming experience. At first, we were able to peruse the various goods such as clothing, jewelry, shoes and decorative items but since we were “muzungus” we soon became surrounded by local guys trying to sell us various items. After some bargaining and hustling on my end, I managed to get 2 scarves, a pair of earrings and a purse for less than $10.

We witnessed another shocking incident while we were at the market. As we were standing outside, we hear a lot of yelling and see a man running frantically down the street. All of a sudden a mob of people start chasing him. According to the local people this is a common occurrence and it happens when someone steals something. In what is called “mob justice” the culprit is chased by police and anyone else that wants to join in and teach this guy a lesson. Once he is caught he is beaten pretty badly (there have been accounts of people dying as a result) and then taken to the police station for further punishment. A far as human rights are concerned this tactic is not as bad as when used to happen to thieves in Kenya. We learned that in the past, thieves were burned alive in public by putting a tire around them and setting them on fire. All I can say, is that would be a big deterrent for me and I will never steal anything, not even a piece of gum, in Kenya!

During our weekend in Nairobi, we visited a local organization called “kazuri” meaning small and beautiful. This organization helped to assist single women in poverty, most of them who live in kabera, one of the largest slums in the world. Women are trained to make beads and an jewelry out of clay and can then work for the organization to get money to pay for necessities and to send their children to school. The women work 8 hour days and get paid on an hourly basis and receive healthcare for them and they families. The center employs over 300 women currently and there is a waiting list of over 100 women that are eager to participate in the program. The jewelry that is made at Kazuri is shipped to places all over the world so as they get more orders they are able to bring in more women and train them to be a part of the program. After visiting Kazuri, we went to a giraffe park where we were able to pet and feed the giraffes. They can be pretty feisty at times and take the food right out of your hands. From there we visited the “Bomas of Kenya” where we learned a little more about the tribal cultures and saw how the typical villages were set up complete with a watch tower, 1st wife’s hut, 2nd wife’s hut, the boys hut and the granary. Most of the huts were made out of straw, sticks and mud. We ended the “touristy” part of our day, watching traditional dances of the local tribes.

All in all, our trip to Nairobi was great and the best part was that no one was robbed!!! On Sunday, after attending church at Nairobi Chapel, which I really enjoyed because it reminded me of my church back home, we boarded the shuttle and made the journey back to Arusha. This time the trip only took 6 hours for which I was very thankful. I got home just in time to take a shower and try to scrub all of the dust off of me before the power went out. Oh, TIL! This is life!!! And life is great!