DO YOU KNOW NAIROBI? I THINK YES BUT THEN AGAIN NO

Do you know Nairobi? A rather simple question that would be met with a lot of controversy. Many would take this as offensive making bold statements like,” I have lived in Nairobi all my life,hakuna pahali sijui.” Others would mistake this as ridicule and a questioning to their intact egos. Think about it and it would come as surprise that we actually don’t know Nairobi. What we know are the places we normally frequent which fortunately happen to be in Nairobi’s vicinity. Unfortunately I was the victim and it all started when I tried to locate Utalii house.

As we all know, I mean as most of us think we know, Utalii house is somewhere on Uhuru highway right after the latter’s round about. If I have my facts right and I believe I do, it took me eight people just to locate the building and this are people who frequent the city more than three times a week. It’s even more disappointing considering that half of this people were actually police officers who are entitled with the responsibility of guiding the public on such issues. I was taking a stroll on Harambee Avenue and I asked one who very confidently led me to South B. I bet in the back of his mind he was contemplating a rise or even a promotion to inspector considering the service he was awarding the public.

My encounter surely led to immense fatigue and a lot of complaining from the stomach considering I had no money for lunch but it surely led some light on certain issues. What exactly is the obsession with being a Nairobian. It’s like a competition or an awarding venture actually getting to know the capital city. Visit people in the rural areas and all they think about are the latter. Its so cliché for crying out loud. Wouldn’t seem cooler actually claiming to know Marsabit inside out. Furthermore it’s different and most of us consider ourselves that.

I remember the first day I joined campus, my cousin who happens to come from “shagz” introduced me to the IT specialist in my soon to become faculty. Suprisingly the first thing she mentioned was about knowing Nairobi. She went ahead and recommended that my cousin embark on a duty to enlighten me on the city’s environs. I’m pretty sure she would have continued if it wasn’t for my cousin who actually mentioned that I was actually a “Town boy.” I always thought it was written all over my face but that’s a story for another day.

On the other hand, you can choose to ignore my sentiments but at the expense of really getting to know the city. It’s a great disappointment having to mince your words while breaking quite some sweat when the ministry of Education location can’t seem to cross your mind. This is despite the fact that your rural neighbour inquired your services so that he can actually acquire his pay slip and take his eagerly awaited salary home.