I'm out - Nairobi impressions

The Kenyan capital of Nairobi, formerly dubbed Nairoberry has a reputation as Africa's second most dangerous city (after Joburg) The reputation was well earned, stories of muggings, violent crime and hijackings were what kept the pulse of every ex pat and Holy Planet reading tourist racing. However since the post election violence in early 2008 the police have cleaned up the streets, to use that dirty euphemism, however the reputation remains. It is one of those cities were even locals think that it is dangerous, which generally indicates there is some danger lurking about.

On my first morning in town I was having breakfast in a cafe, after having sat down at a table with some locals I had to return to the counter to collect a spoon. I left my bag attached to the seat, walked the three metres to the counter, collected my spoon and returned to the table. The woman sitting opposite me at the table immediately warned me "Never leave your bag like that. Sometimes even if you just look away someone will come and take it". Considering that the place was filled with men in suits, and a few elderly women whom I imagined to be beyond too much swift movement, I wondered whether the reputation rather than reality influenced the way people felt.

I subsequently started chatting to the guy sitting next to me about Nairobi and life in general. Nairobi is filled with matatus, the ubiquitous Toyota Hiace, which are used as share taxis, usually crammed full with 18 people, plus the driver and the bus boy. Some of them have been done up, new paintwork, images of the suffering Christ or invocations to Allah plastered on all the panels, plush (imitation) velvet interiors - one even had a big, flat screen TV in the back so the passengers could watch music videos as they had their ear drums blasted out. However, most are in a rather parlous state, bald tyres are standard, brakes are optional, and a driving licence and road rules mere urban myths that rear their ugly heads from time to time. As the number of matatus is high, and the fares quite low, the competition for passengers is frantic, a potential passenger is constantly in danger of being yanked from the street in to the waiting matatu, or being flattened by a speeding matatu, using the footpath as a road in an attempt to get ahead of the others and claim any potential passengers. Every day the news contains at least one story about a matatu crash, usually involving the loss of life. The guy in the café explained to me that in the society brimming with corruption that is Kenya the matatus are all owned by the police, so the police rarely worry about stopping the matatus for violations, they would only be eating in to their own profits !!

Despite the black cloud of fear that seems to hang over Nairobi, I actually found it quite a pleasant place. It's main streets are wide and tree lined, its altitude makes it quite cool, the streets are clean and there is a large park in the middle of town. Kenyans are used to foreigners, yet they are still more than happy to stop and have a chat and assist you in any way they can. I wandered in to an internet café and
after having trouble connecting my laptop I was assisted by a technician. When I returned to the same place later in the evening, the same technician recognised me, greeted me like an old friend and made sure that everything was working fine. About an hour later the technician reappeared and said "I am out", which apparently means "I am going" in Kenyan English. He was knocking off at the end of his shift and came and said goodbye to his new friend. The warm heart of Africa indeed.