Insight from Nairobi

 

  Just a common Monday morning in Nairobi… The sun is shining brightly and it feels like rushing outside…

 

Waking up earlier than usual, around 7:45, I decided to start working early on this busy day. My internet connection had been totally out of order since I came back from Kampala, Uganda, on Tuesday night, due to Safaricom improvements’ work in our neighbourhood, and had finally been working again from Sunday evening. Safaricom is one of Kenya’ biggest telecom company, involved in a fierce war on prices with competitors Zain, but its network had been pretty bad since the beginning of 2011. 

But as soon as the internet started working again slowly, around 9:30 this morning the power went off… Power cuts have been recurrent in Kenya since late December, especially in Nairobi. The government has not commented on it but it seems the drought is really affecting the power supplies in large part of the country.

So, having a mail to deliver in Westlands, the nearest neighbourhood, I decided to give up trying working from home and to head downtown. I started walking towards Westlands from my house in Brookside, as I do often on Saturdays. But on this road, there is of course no sidewalk and very few people are trying to walk during weekdays, especially the residents, who all have cars. Having no car and no driving licence, not willing to drive but tired of using cab for such short distances, I started my day walking on a Monday morning.

It takes quiet some attention to use those roads. The red ground is only made of dust and rocks; sidewalks hardy exist at the entrance of fancy building, mostly for car to get in smoothly; and cars are ruling the world. On Brookside Drive, the main street of my neighbourhood, a few Kenyans do walk to go to work in expats’ houses, because they couldn’t afford a car. They all look at me as if I was a bit crazy. What is this ‘muzungu’ (White person in Swahili) doing walking here, must they think… On Lower Kabate Road, further East, there is just no more people walking; we approaching the malls, the offices, the busy part of Nairobi.

Crossing Ringroad Westlands in Westlands Road, I enter one of the busiest parts of the city. Little shops are opening along the road, and people are greeting you when you pass by. They hope to sell a few Masaai jewels or wooden souvenirs from Kenya. Since I’m not going anywhere for now, it’s not the best time to buy some souvenirs, but one day, I promise.  

Leaving Westlands in the direction of the city centre began the real fun. The Museum Hill and the highway main roundabout, where Waiyaki Way meets Chiromo Road, the construction works are so huge that the place doesn’t look like a city anymore. 

 

Huge pile of red dust and clay are blocking the way, holes are invading the junctions and you actually need to jump over them quite a few times to get over this mess and join the main road to the city centre. The main construction work is conducted by Chinese companies. They are building a huge fly-over about the main highway. The construction started in November and should be done by the end of 2011, they say… It seems pretty doubtful though. What is noticeable in the area where the construction is ongoing is that most outdoor workers are Kenyans; the Chinese remains in the bulldozers, driving them or giving instructions. I often wonder how the communication works between them… 

After walking more than an hour, I am finally in the area of our office, on Kijabe Street. A lot of people say Nairobi doesn’t feel like a city because of this feeling: you can hardly walk outside the city centre really, it’s complicated to move around, different neighbourhood are spread out and separated by no man’s lands… It is true really. But I’ve decided to try and make that change…