First Week in Nairobi and first Impressions - 12 to 19 November 2010

Friday 17 November 2010 


Some Facts about Nairobi:

• Nairobi is the capital and the largest city in Kenya.
• It's name comes from the Masai word meaning "the place of cool waters".
• It is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun"
• Founded in 1899, as a simply rail depot on the railway linking between Mombasa and Kampala in Uganda.
• The town quickly grew to become the capital of British East Africa in 1907 and eventually the capital of the free Kenyan republic in 1963.
• During Kenya's colonial period, the city became a centre for the colony's coffee, tea and sisal industry.
• Nairobi lies on the Nairobi River, and has an elevation of 1,795 metres asl.
• Nairobi's population is approximately 3 million people and growing rapidly.  Emigrants come into Nairobi seeking employment not only from other parts of Kenya but also from other parts of Africa - Somalians, Sudanese, Ugandans, Tanzanians and Rwandans to name but a few.
• Nairobi is located adjacent to the Great Rift Valley and as a result, minor earthquakes and tremors occasionally occur.
• Nairobi's climate is recorded as subtropical highland climate.  It's high altitude makes for chilly evenings throughout the mid-winter period - June/July - the nightly temperature can drop to 10 degrees celsius. 
• Nairobi's warmest, sunniest and driest period occurs from December through to March, when temperatures average the mid to late twenties.
• There are two rainy season - the "short rains" from October to December and the "long rains" from March to June.  The rainfall is generally very moderate.
• As Nairobi is situated close to the Equator, the differences between the seasons are minimal.

My first week has been spent walking around the place and exploring, sleeping, and sleeping some more!!  It seems every time I sit down I go to sleep.  And I've been experiencing some very vivid dreams.  Must be the high altitude.

The road and footpath outside
our compound

An insight to what's been happening this week.  Our small, serviced apartment comes with a household helper, Emily who told me that she has a husband who's unemployed and two small school aged children and earns 5,000 shillings per month which is equivalent to NZ $84.65 or USA $62.31 per month.  With this amount she has to provide for her family : clothes, food, transport, school fees etc.

Luckily, her husband is to start a new job in the New Year but his salary will be approximately the same amount.  All poorer Kenyan parents wish their children to work hard at their academic studies in order for them to gain a scholarship to attend university - to them a good education means a good job for their children and an escape to their poverty.

There's no social welfare system in Kenya as we have in New Zealand and therefore if a person is unemployed for a long period of time they starve.  They either become beggars or are at the mercy of their families to help.  Most days when I walk to join Ray for lunch I am approached by beggars asking for money for food.  Every day I give donations to the disabled beggars who are disadvantaged.  All too often I am approached by young children requesting money for food, clothing or their education.

By and large, people are friendly as you walk around, usually acknowledging you with a smile or wave and the expression "Jambo" - hello.  I've heard some comments that the average person in the street, who earns a pittance, has been "abandoned" by their politicians - successive number of politicians to be precise.  Descriptions like self serving, nepotist and power corrupters are appropriate to some of them.  What's obvious on the roads are a lot of Mercedes Benzs, BMWs, and other luxury cars!  Plus many, many, many old bangers in disrepair!            

Ray looking impatient 

The roads around our compound - and city wide - are mostly dirt, bumpy and potholed - road maintenance, and other vital infrastructure services seem to have been neglected for years.  The footpaths are almost non-existent.  Sometimes, as you are walking along, a car will mount the footpath in order to drive on a smoother surface than the road, hence you always have to be vigilant for a random car to be heading in your direction!  

The weather hasn't been as warm as I'd expected it to be, considering Nairobi is on the Equator. - Nairobi is positioned above 1795 metres asl which cools down the temperatures and can make you breathless if you move too strenuously.   It's a very dry climate and it's interesting to note that I haven't had any aching joints since I've been here - Auckland's humidity has a lot to answer to!!  The midday temperatures this week have been around 23 degrees C and definitely jacket-wearing gear if you venture out in the evening.   I'm told this period is the end of the "small rains" and every second day or so we have heavy rains - mostly at night.  The dirt footpaths become mud footpaths which makes it difficult to walk along.  From now until March there'll be dry, hot days when the "big rains" begin...

Open drains near our house filled with rubbish!

Most days I've been meeting Ray for lunch at a local cafe situated in a modern shopping mall, ten minutes walk from the apartment building.  The food here has been very good : lots of fresh green vegies and fruit which I love - mangoes, paw paws, pineapples etc.  I've had a little bit of an upset tummy so far but nothing too serious.  Someone has suggested putting a couple of drops of bleach in the water when you wash the lettuce, so I'll have to try that!

This weekend we are venturing down to a place called Naivasha whch is situated in part of the Rift Valley with Emmanuel and Alexandria, workmates of Ray's.  Really looking forward to it as I'm keen to explore some of the countryside.