Nairobi: City animals on the prowl

Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi has the infrastructural trappings of a modern city. Tall buildings, casinos, nightlife, 24-hour shopping centres, and multi-cuisine restaurants and of course, it’s the world’s gateway to one the natural wonders of the world: The famous wildlife game safari Masai Mara.

While the world’s best game sightings of entourage of cheetahs, lions, gazelles, giraffes, rhinos, zebras happen hours within driving distance of Nairobi, it’s the other kind of animalistic activities that take place in Nairobi that grabbed my attention during a long weekend visit.

In the past few weeks, there have been a series of violent incidents that besides the normal course of robbery has resulted in murders and killings, mostly targeting the Asian community.

Once known as the slum capital of the world, the place is known for its petty robbery. Much like Johannesburg, people avoid travelling alone. They mostly travel in vehicles and rarely walk with the fear of being mugged.

After sunset, it is unlikely that anybody would walk alone. Even the cars are always locked and windows never opened, so as to avoid anybody reaching into the car and snatching away items when the car slows down or stops at the signal.

Most of these thefts, which were earlier considered an outcome of abject poverty, are now being described as politically motivated, since the general elections are pending in December. It is being described as showing the current administration weak and ineffective, particularly since these killings not only happen in broad daylight but in busy streets as well in parking lots.

Speaking to two Asian women, I picked up some frightening information. According to them, it’s an element of chance, only a matter of time before it happens to everybody. Lifestyles are portrayed almost meagre in order to avoid drawing attention.

Asian families avoid wearing good clothes, buying good cars, wearing expensive items. In the past few days, a person got killed while getting out of his car. While parking, he saw in his rear-view mirror two men with guns and he backed up to scare them, but they opened fire and killed him.

A woman who serves tea to the security guards everyday was ambushed at home by three men who ransacked the house, took everything. There however wasn’t much to take away (as people don’t keep valuables at home) but the family members fell prey to the violence.

Perhaps, Asian community is being targeted because of its economic supremacy. The city has a large diaspora of Gujaratis that handles all major economic activities of the city. Either Asians have all the money, which makes them easy targets, or they are a community to be envied but they live in constant fear and with abundant caution.

Nairobi, like other major African cities, is home to four and two-legged animals who prowl the city by the day, and hunt by the night.

Manjula Pooja Shroff is  an entrepreneur and educationist and can be reached at shroffmp@gmail.com