I recently encountered a man who left me holding my ribs to
make sure they are not cracked. The tale of a man who came to Nairobi as an
adult left me eagerly waiting for the chance to tap his story into my computer keyboard.
Here we go, this man had only watched Nairobi on TV and
those days he claims our media houses only showed the good looking sides of
Nairobi. To him Nairobi was the typical ‘green city in the sun’ that has been a
figment of our imagination for long. The day he arrived in Nairobi his
bubble was burst on his first night in an iron-sheet structure. He felt played
but there was no one to blame, I have reasons to believe he was telling us this
story as a self healing therapy.
The Morning After
He could not reconcile the picture he had of Nairobi in his
mind and what he saw. I can imagine how he felt when he woke up that first
morning. Too bad if it had rained and the small space in front of the house was
covered with mud. A guy must have felt cheated, like a lady who woke up in a
house belonging to a man she had sworn she will never give to his advances. At this point, the morning after pill will
never take away the mixed feelings.
The Kibera Perfume
He went ahead to tell us that when you board number 8
matatu’s to Kibera in the evening, you will be surprised by the expensive scent
of perfumes from the commuters. You are bound to enjoy the ride as the
conductors have also mastered their clientèle.
The music played will mirror the scent of the commuters. The
stronger the scent, the more of soul, dance-hall rhythm and blues are played.
These are uptown sounds; Kibera residents are more inclined to roots reggae,
and to some extent hip-hop and local urban music.
The shocker comes when you reach Yaya Centre or Prestige
Plaza and the uptown side of commuters alight. You are left with the true, real
and natural scent of Kiberans. You are now saying ‘Kwaheri Nairobi- see you
tomorrow’ as you enter Kibera. The music will also be changed by the
emotionally intelligent matatu crew.
This is a man I would like to probe more for tales from this
side of town many people from Nairobi don’t know about. He made my day, and the
people I was with may not know I chronicle my findings on Kenyan slums.
Oh yes, there is a big difference between Kibera and
Nairobi. The simple one is scent, where as Kibera most people go natural,
Nairobians have the power to determine how they would like to smell. Listening
to tales from Kibera can leave you laughing to the core of your being.
