The City under the Sun: Nairobi

Nairobi does not ease you in. It is loud, unapologetic and relentless. The city hums to life just before sunrise, with a morning coffee of ambition, survival and creativity. Wrapped perhaps in a pastry of hope. To me, Nairobi is a rhythm, a pattern, a pace. I keep likening it to NYC but way smaller, compressed and unmistakably African.

Nairobi is both home and a city I constantly return to, physically and emotionally. It is where I first understood hustle and grit. In the city, everyone seems to be working towards something- a business idea, a side gig, a way up! From the informal hawkers (mobile vendors) weaving through traffic to ingenious, tech savvy youth collaborating on their ticket out to a better life. Theirs always a contagious sense of movement, as if an entire city does not wait for permission or pleasantries but simply hustles to the next thing.

Nairobi is a hub for Central and East Africa, drawing students, entrepreneurs, artists, refugees and professionals from across the region. I guess another way it is New York-like. Walking through neighborhoods like Westlands and "Tao" (slang for town, referring to the Central Business District, you would hear multiple languages and accents layered on each other adding to that rhythm and pace to the city. That said, each neighborhood actually forms its own distinct identities such as Kilimani with"Kilimani babies" (for their soft, city life) or Buruburu (known for their abrasive music scene and popular band Buruklyn Boys). Maybe that NYC parallel goes farther than I thought.

At the same time, Nairobi feels trapped and constrained. Infrastructure feels like a burdened cross to carry. Traffic congestion can turn short distances into long hour journeys. Inadequate public transport, poor urban planning and underinvestment in infrastructure makes that daily hustle that much harder. Unfortunately, this issues aren't for a lack of effort but rather the cost of poor leadership and corruption.

Downtown Nairobi, Kenya on a busy evening rush hour

Corruption is not an abstract vice in Nairobi, it is a tangible part of the culture. Showing up as broken roads, stalled projects or unreliable public services such as water and electricity. With the advent of the privatization of social welfare and utilities, the net of scandal and corruption has only be cast wider. Leadership looks to scratch the back of fellow businessmen in cahoots, others be damned!

Despite that, resilience pushes through. Informal solutions tackle formal problems. Nairobi has become a space for protest and the expression of a unified voice of frustration. Where leadership fails, the city responds through demonstrations, online activism and public debate. Is it out of frustration? Yes. Is it for the better? Time will tell. the growing consensus among young people is a demand for accountability and change. We are increasingly unwilling to accept corruption and the bear minimum as the status quo.

With mention of accountability and change, the city is striving to be better. Branded as the "Green City under the Sun", the are meaningful steps in the right direction. Kenya has banned plastic bags and single-use plastics as a bold step towards change and sustainability. What thought to be a point of contention, as change meant loss of jobs and restructured industry, became a point to innovation and economic growth. These policies signal ambition to break past the constraints of corruption and inadequate leadership and be the city it's meant to be.

Sunrise over Nairobi CBD ("Tao"), Kiptanui Snr

Strangely, to me Nairobi is a city of contradiction that somehow stands on its own two feet. Innovation contrasts inefficiency, creativity contrasts constraint, fervent hustle contrasts frustration. It is imperfect, it is vibrant and full of unfinished narratives. It definitely has a long way to go, especially compared to New York, with issues of governance, infrastructure and corruption. However, it's energy and grit cannot be overlooked. It hums, it insists and shouts in protest for change!