The Kangemi slum in Nairobi - The other side of reality
by Iris Schulz
Vegetable Market
Hardware Shop
During our stay in Nairobi we visited different of the typical tourist places and also the shopping malls for the muzungos (Swahili for white man) but the most impressive visit was the one through Kangemi, which is a slum near Westlands.
We made a private guided tour with "Kangemi Slum Tours". Our guide was Daniel, who is also a dweller in Kangemi - he is very friendly, we felt secure and comfortable with him.
All the people we met are so friendly and cheerful and I thougt a slum has to be a sad place in the world. But there is lots of laughing and life. Daniel told us that most of the people here have a fulltime job - but they don't earn enough money to come out of the slum. Some of them have to support their families in the rural areas also.
We have seen a typical slum house, the making of special briketts, a container garden where the Kangemi people can produce their own vegetables.
We didn't miss a short walk over the local markets. We visited a school and an very impressive orphanage. The visit really changed my view of life.