Category Archives: Travelling Tales

In and attempt to find a positive focus for the recovering addicts slightly ahead of ‘just something to do’, a number of the young men have organised a clean up team that can be hired to make the narrow alleyways more palatable and clear the congested sewer gulleys that are plagued by single use plastics.Continue reading “Plastic Prison”

Partially in response to a children’s feeding program being overwhelmed by ravenous teenagers, the Kibera Saints football club was birthed initially as distraction but soon as a focus and a beacon of hope. Numbers grew, local crime rates fell as football skills in tandem with a sense of belonging and purpose flourished. Police reported aContinue reading “Neonate”

Micro businesses are part of the soul of the Kibera economy although some work better than others. Fledging starts-up have around the same success rate as anywhere else in the world and 90 percent will nose dive in the first few months. With no public social security safety net the only choice is get upContinue reading “Mama Mboga”

It would be irresponsible to underplay the effects of Covid on the nation of Kenya but they are probably not as straight-lined as you might imagine. True, people got sick and died but both governmentally and anecdotally the figures are remarkably low. The reasons are unclear but the civic response was brutal for Kibera; shutContinue reading “12 Steps”

Kibera’s notorious flying toilets are still an issue for most of its residents. Bagging and chucking human waste seems less prevalent, although open sewers are still plentiful and the river at the base of the Kianda region crawls at a consistency that defies description. Building a washroom and toilet block in the middle of aContinue reading “Flying Toilets Cleared to Land”

Traveling from Jomo Kenyatta International post a two year plus covid enforced separation, reminds the visitor that Beijing has been rather busy with an awful lot of concrete.  Sixteen point eight miles of elevated elegant dual carriageway delicately connect the airport with the capital Nairobi and for a toll, pre-registered vehicles can gracefully rise aboveContinue reading “Chinese Zebra”

Jane Mwikali died last week and it did not make the news. Probably not Covid related but certainly Kibera related, Jane’s demise was a bit premature. Jane ran a barely recognisable retail kiosk on questionable economics, with eclectic unreliable stock and a wafer thin footfall. ‘I’ll get your change later’ was always followed by anContinue reading “Jane…”

Nairobi’s notorious transport infrastructure is tightening its stranglehold upon the health and patience of city commuters daily. Eye watering and visible black acrid diesel exhaust choke the peak time air whilst ageing poorly maintained vehicles grind into gridlock on a daily basis. On a main arterial route, six lines of frustration morph into eight annexingContinue reading “Chap Chap…”

Disposing of any type of waste in Kibera is a huge challenge. Flying toilets, open sewers and informal housing density provide little opportunity and even less incentive to tackle what seems like an impossible problem. Dumping just out of site and open burning do little to mitigate as daily survival takes precedence over longer termContinue reading “Pockets of Hope…”

Dealing with menstrual poverty is rarely high on the to-do lists of those that are not affected by it. The reality is that it affects not just the individual, but it has a huge impact on female independence, social order, education and the local economy. Exclusion from education and work during menstruation, poor understanding, traditionalContinue reading “Mooncups…”