Nairobi n' Me: A love hate relationship

Writing about and being in Rwanda has me contemplating some frustrations I have about living in Nairobi. Before I explain these, I feel I must first brag a bit about the positive aspects of Nairobi life. Nairobi is fun, especially if you’re young. Compared to major urban centers of the United States, Nairobi is relatively small with only 3 million people. It is not uncommon, for instance, to go out alone only to coincidentally bump into somebody you know. Small as it may be however, it offers the resident expat countless outings to choose from – Nairobi clubs are said to be the best in East Africa, there are countless shopping centers, bargain markets, great food, poetry, athletics, nature, even skating rinks and 3d movie theaters. And then there’s Nairobi’s people. They come in multiple shades and are the types with seemingly an unending supply of energy and enthusiasm. Like most Americans, they want to have the best at building a good life for themselves and their family and their willing to work damn hard to get it. Nairobi is the hub for most humanitarian organizations – UNHCR, IOM, ActionAid, you name it. It offers fantastic opportunity for the aspiring humanitarian looking for those requisite 2-3 years of “field experience.” The question however lies in whether it is worth it to stay longer than that. For me, and I believe many expats, the main frustrations are pollution, crime, corruption and the cultural complacency with regards to lateness being OK. These “cons” give me great pause when thinking about my future, and indeed the future of my children and husband should I ever be so lucky to have them.

Let me delve into the pollution issue. Nairobi is not a clean city. In fact, in many places, it is downright filthy. Piles of garbage, bags caught in gutters, goats, chickens and birds of prey munching on human trash is commonplace. How many hundreds of times have I observed Kenyans tossing a wrapper or plastic bottle on the ground without a second thought? When I see that I want to SCREAM, do you not have ANY respect for your environment? For your COUNTRY? It turns my stomach no matter how many times I witness folks doing that. For me, pride in ones country goes hand in hand with respecting it enough to keep it clean. I see Kenyan children littering and it breaks my heart because if today's children aren't taught to keep Kenya clean, how can we expect a future Nairobi to be any cleaner? I know that I don’t want my children playing around heaps of trash. Do you? Kenya's economy relies so heavily on tourism from the United States, Europe and Asia. In fact, it was because Somali terrorists were jeopardizing Kenya's tourist industry that Kenya ended up declaring war on Somalia. So it's obvious Kenya places high value on its tourism industry and has high hopes that it will continue to grow in the future. So why aren’t there more advocates for a cleaner Kenya? Why is this connection – a cleaner Kenya means a wealthier Kenya – not made? I don’t get it. Kenyans are quick to blame their government for their frustrations, but certainly all blame can’t be pushed to corrupt MPs. They are responsible for Kenya, yes, but not solely responsible. Change happens not with a crowd, but with one person who inspires the next, who inspires the next. Why not set an example by just carrying that wrapper, bag or plastic bottle to a trash bin? Be the change you want to see in the world, as they say. Stop waiting for change to happen from above and bring about the change you are capable of bringing about yourself.  Because seriously folks, who out there likes seeing huge piles of trash everywhere (even outside your national parks for crying out loud)?! Clean up your act, Kenya! You're better than that and the Rwandans have proven that it IS possible. Their streets, even in the capital city of Kigali are SPOTLESS. I challenge you to find one tossed bottle on their streets. Just try! 

And then there's the crime. I have yet to meet ONE expat living in Nairobi who has not had their house or car broken into or vandalized been pick-pocketed, mugged or sexually harassed. Not one. Such experiences really put a damper on expats’ desire to build a future here. Frustrated expats sadden me because I truly believe Nairobi has a lot of potential. I don’t mean to suggest that the average Kenyan isn’t trust worthy. I believe the majority of Kenyans are good people just trying to make the best out of life. I don’t think any expat would argue against that. But then there are those heartless few who seem to believe it’s better to steal, harass, hurt and exploit expats and fellow Kenyans alike in order to get ahead in life. I have lived many different places in my life, but never have I led such a vulnerable life style as I do in Nairobi. I long to be able to walk outside my house past dusk, to be able to go out dancing without being sexually harassed and to not be charged 10x more just because of my skin tone. I don’t appreciate being perceived as a walking wallet or people thinking that because my boyfriend is black that he must be using me somehow. I don’t like having to hide my phone when I’m on public transport or having to look over my shoulder because some idiot matatu driver is driving on the wrong side of the road and on the sidewalk to boot! I love life abroad and believe I made the right choice moving to Kenya, but with frustrations like crime and pollution make the possibility of me raising a family there unlikely. I don’t want to have to worry each day if my kid is slowly getting cancer because he’s breathing in unfiltered car exhaust, whether my daughter is being grabbed by unscrupulous men who’ve “always wondered what t would be like to grab a girl of her color,” or whether my husband is going to be mugged or worse, get into one of those matatu accidents that I see so often on the news.  

It’s interesting how much an expat’s vantage point changes from when s/he’s in his/her early 20s and carefree, to when s/he’s thinking about family. I wonder what my future holds and where I’ll be even a year from now. Sometimes I wish I could take a break from the anticipation and just take a quick glimpse to put myself at ease.