The city of Nairobi has some places in it where letting off
of guns and dangerous mayhem has turned out to be the norm. In such places,
murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault roll into one leading to
increased violence in the region. Having in mind that safety is of course, one
of the most vital things people factor in when choosing a place to reside or
visit, we bring you some of the regions in Nairobi (one of the most tourist
destinations in Africa) where people usually pray day and night that nothing
bad befalls them. This is to get you well-informed so as to enable you take
necessary precautions when exploring any of these areas.
Most Dangerous Regions In Nairobi
10. Mathare (Namba 10)
In Mathare, everything seems normal, quiet and safe but once
it is night, it turns into a terror zone. The area is home to most of the
carjackers that operate in Nairobi. Crime rate in this area have become so high
that residents no longer leave robbers to chance. When a robber is caught, no
one cares to hand him over to the police or any other authority. The locals do
the justice themselves so others would learn from the hard lesson. But
shockingly, the robbers never learn.
9. Mukuru Kayaba
In this neighborhood, if you dress in nice-looking cloths,
or put on an expensive perfume, they would assume you are rich and then attack
you even without minding if you have enough in your pocket or not. In fact, you
will be treating yourself badly if you ever make the excuse of not having any
money with you. They despise rich people severely, so looking as one makes you
a target for attack. If you look rich and you don’t actually have any real
money on you, then you are in for double trouble because the bad guys will
certainly not believe you, no matter how much you swear. You might end up being
stripped off of your expensive clothes and jewelry and even your 100 shilling
underpants won’t be an exception!
8. Kariobangi North (Roundabout)
In this hood, the bad guys’ policy is something you can
describe as the ‘snatch and run’ rule. They have sharp eagle eyes that only see
fat bags whether it contains valuables or not. Once sighted with a big bag,
they will come off the blue, grab it and disappear before you can cough out
jack! So if you happen to find yourself in this area, and you are carrying
valuable items or wearing any jewelry, know that you are a hot target. Even a
bag full of debris stands the risk of being snatched Kariobangi.
7. Kawangware (Congo)
Congo is an unfamiliar area inside Kawangware. The situation
in this region is so bad that the police often gives it a second thought before
stomping the area. According to residents of the area, there are two key groups
terrorizing the hood. These two gang groups never clash. Each of them are
usually on their lane operating differently without stepping on the toes of the
other. If you dare cross the boundaries of these gangs, you might come out
looking roasted even while you are still alive. The word “mercy” is one word
that ‘Congo’ bad guys think should be removed from the dictionary because it
never exists for them.
6. Huruma (Corner)
One of the horrible characteristics of Huruma Corner is that
the teenage boys who you’d easily call harmless are the ones that will rock your
life to the core. Oh yea, most teenagers you would overlook thinking they just
can’t cause any harm to you are the ones that will rob you of your valuables.
Whats even more annoying about the area is that these teenage boys will not let
you go scot-free after stripping you of all your valuable items. They rather
not take anything at all than letting you go unharmed. Their trade mark is
leaving at least one stab on any part of your body reachable at that point
using a dirty or rusty dagger capable of infecting you. To them, they want to
make you remember you came across the “baddest boys” in town not minding
whether you complied or not.
5. Dandora Phase 2 and Pump Site
In Dandora Phase 2 where most of Nairobi’s garbage is
trashed, you are just an icing on the cake for bad boys if your face looks
unfamiliar in the area. When once you are sighted and it is clear to them that
you are new in the area, you might be cornered by someone who will ask you in a
well-behaved manner to pull off your sneakers or any valuable item and give
them to him. This to them, is a way of welcoming you and getting you informed
that some bad folks are in the area. One advice, let him have it in a polite
manner too, because if you try to resist, you might just get a dagger hole in
your belly in Spartacus style. And the strange part is that none of the people
passing by will do a thing to help you.
Also, on the other side of the area, gang wars are
widespread. Groups of chokoras make orders for every incoming garbage truck.
The reason is to check if there are any valuables or recyclable materials in
the garbage, so messing with another person’s booked truck leads to fierce
fights.
4. Kayole
Kayole also known as ‘Oyole’ is another dangerous area in
Nairobi. Here, gangs demand protection fees from locals when they go out and
also when they come back to their homes. If you refuse to pay, you will learn a
hard lesson. The big question however is: what are they protecting the locals
against? Anyway, this not only happens in Kayole, it is also a common mafia
practice in the US too. Over the years, the mafia have been known to tax
residents and business owners for ‘protection’ against…nothing perhaps.
3. Majengo
Even though more and more bad boys are being killed
everyday, their population is still rising alongside the crimes they commit.
The bad boys are like ants that can never be completely eliminated. More people
choose to rebel because of abject poverty. In this area, no ‘foreign thief’ can
invade as the local criminals try as hard as possible to safeguard it from
foreign robbers while they do the robbery themselves, sparing neither locals
nor visitors found with valuable items.
2. Githurai 45
Githuri market place is another dreadful area in Nairobi.
You might just be stand or walking on one part of the market, when someone will
grab your phone or bag in a flash and dash out. Sadly, nobody will agree that
they know the robber since it is a crowded area. The second trick used in mugging
people is by rolling out an iron rod on their back and ordering them to give
their phone or else they will be shot. For fear of being shot, victims quickly
handover all their valuables without argument. The case of robbery in this area
is so bad that one time when a famous cop who used to kill thugs was prosecuted
for murder, residents protested for three days. They simply wanted him to
continue killing the thugs.
1. KM
KM is a small neighborhood located behind Kenyatta
University main campus. Though this area is less known by most Nairobians, the
students of Kenyatta University main campus are widely dependent on this area
for food, print services and even accommodation.
According to the students, if you dare walk from the campus
to this place anytime after 9: 00 pm, you will be sure of getting mugged by
deadly group of young boys. Reports also show that some KU students have even
lost their lives during some of the attacks. That is exactly why most students
prefer residing in the close-by Kahawa Wendani and Ruiru areas rather than
risking their lives living in KM.
However, the Kenyatta University administration is working with
the police to ensure the area becomes safe for both students and locals alike.