During my weekend there, I took two trips northwest of the city, one to Lake Nakuru and the out to Mount Longolot. Both were out along the same highway and I was amazed by the number of schools, stores, domestic hotels (as opposed to the huge fancy ones in the city), etc. there were. There was still poverty--clearly--but compared to Tanzania, this is a country doing extremely well (I also learned on this trip that Tanzania is the third poorest country in the world; I don't exactly know how the level is calculated, but that says something about the neighboring countries).
Kenyans also have a very different attitude than Tanzanians. While Tanzanians can be reserved, Kenyans are known to be aggressive, and are characterized as such by all their neighbors in Rwanda, Uganda, etc. You learn a tremendous amount from taxi drivers and I spoke intently with the ones we used here, many of whom we spent significant time with on repeat trips or long journeys.
From these very welcoming drivers--Douglas, Charles, and Peter, I learned a lot about this country and the differences with Tanzania (that's where the two decades information came from, too). Here's essentially what they told me:
- The economic structure is the core difference between the development of the two countries--Kenya is capitalist and Tanzania is socialist
- Because of Tanzania's socialism, people with money in the country will not invest in the country, but instead do so outside of it; if they invested in the country, they would not own their investment
- While Tanzania focused on unity post-independence, Kenya focused on business
- Because of the lack of focus on unity, Kenya has experienced inter-tribal violence, such as the post-election violence in 2008--all the drivers spoke openly of this and felt passionately that it could not happen again
- Though, like in Tanzania, Kenyans do not want to be openly critical, our drivers were honest about the previous government corruption, the tribal favoritism, and how this bred ill will and the violence that was experienced; they also felt hopeful in the current direction of the government in continuing to build the country
- Kenyans I spoke to hold themselves and the country to a very high standard; I told them how amazing the roads, the cleanliness, the language, etc., all seemed--and they all said we should be doing better; Charles got lost at some point and was clearly very flustered, apologetic, and embarrassed, even as we assured him it had merely given us a scenic detour of Limuru
- Kenyans actively make fun of Tanzanians as sleepy and a little bit backward
- In Tanzania, everyone really only speaks Swahili and there are no native tongue languages; school is taught in Swahili with English as a subject
- In Kenya, where, like Tanzania, English and Swahili are both official languages, school is taught in English, with Swahili as a subject; most children outside of the cities learn their mother tongue (tribal dialect) first; English and Swahili are in school
- There are three main tribal groups in Kenya--the Bantu, Cushites, and Nilotes (though I believe there are slightly different names for the latter two here in Kenya that I can't seem to find online). The Kikuyus, who are primarily in power here are originally from the Nairobi region and all the drivers we had were Kikuyu. So is the president. The famous Maasai are Nilotes (pastoralists). Unlike Tanzania, there seem to be no Maasai living in this city, at least none that are immediately visible from their clothing.
- Speaking of clothing, nearly everyone in Nairobi dresses in modern clothes. I barely even saw any traditional cloth.
- Kenya is incredibly security focused. Some is for good reason--there is more violence here than in Tanzania, quite a lot of mugging, robbery, sexual violence in some areas--other is that this is how the culture works. Everything--houses, hotels, restaurants, etc., is behind a gate with 24-hour askaris, sometimes two. And the questioning before gates are open is quite intense, that is, of course, until you show your mzungu face.
- Kenyans are proud of their national heritage and the government has made an active effort to make parks accessible to residents, with entrance fees a fraction of the non-national price (think $20 USD vs. $3). And there has been an increase in public transportation to park areas (some which are very close to, or even inside of Nairobi), especially school groups. At both parks we visited, there were a number of school groups (more about this later--some of these trips deserve individual postings!)
- Schools are everywhere. On the drive out of town, we were on a highway where literally there seemed to be a school every 100 meters. And there were also the school children, among the cutest children I've ever seen, walking to school in their uniforms. Children as young as 3 (accompanied by older children) and 5 without any adults. Children here are incredibly friendly, proficient in English, and excited to talk to you. Apparently the biggest problem though is teachers not arriving to teach, or arriving but sitting and listening to the radio all day.
- Security is also a major concern when there are unstable states on your northern boundaries. There are expected to be some 500,000 refugees from Somalia in camps in the north, fleeing the broken state that has exacerbated the terrible famine brought on by worst drought in 50 years. When the aid organizations left Somalia last year when the Islamists took over, it left the country without a safety net. Now Kenya is that safety net for those who can make it into the country. People we talked to (albeit a small samples size) were acutely aware of the situation and compassionate in wanting to help, but also wary of the potential security problem it meant for the country.
- The recent independence of South Sudan is a great thing for Kenya. The oil resources will likely now be piped through Kenya, helping both countries' economies.
- It is COLD in Nairobi. The city is inland and about 1700m above sea level. All the Kenyans are bundled in sweaters, jackets, hats, etc. I mean, I wouldn't go that far, but I definitely was in pants, sweaters, and scarves in the evening. It is also much much drier. Whereas I haven't had to apply moisturizer once in Dar, my face, lips, and body all feel dry here.
- Colonialist influence is still strong in some ways and there is a lot of politics about the land, businesses, etc.--i.e., who owns what (there's a large Indian population here, too, which adds to the complexity; I was told that a Kenyan is far more likely to get along with a mzungu and that most in the Indian community stay largely to to themselves). However, many British-isms are still obvious--bathrooms are cloakrooms, much of the architecture is colonial, school uniforms, etc., etc.
- Kenyans have turned away from the US and the UK, and though still some seem to be excited, others are hugely disappointed by Obama. I wonder whether he will visit in his second term, if he wins one. Instead, China, Japan, and Singapore have become the new allies (and investors) of favor. China, in fact, is building the huge new superhighway inland.
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