Nairobi, also referred to as the Green City in the Sun, is the capital city of Kenya. Nairobi is situated in the highlands of the South-Central part of Kenya, at an elevation of about 5500 feet.
It is the most populated city in Kenya. As of 2021, it has more than 4.9 million people while its metropolitan area has over 9 million residents. The city has grown extensively and is one of the cities in Africa that is edgy and creative.
Most cities around the world identify by their main mode of transport. London has red buses, New York has its taxi cabs while Nairobi has its matatus. Matatu is a slang term for minibuses that are used as public transportation in the country. Despite being a tad chaotic, these public buses and vans are the norm for the majority of the population in the city because they are cheap and convenient. Matatu drivers are also quick in dodging traffic jam and are notorious for breaking traffic rules.
Most matatus are built entirely from scratch, usually from the stripped chassis of a new truck. Fabricators then weld the skeletons and attach the panels. Once the blank canva is ready, matatu artists embellish the vehicles with graffiti, hand-painted portraits and bold designs. This makes them stand out. Graffiti on pop culture, music icons like hip hop artists and international pop stars, athletes and political icons and contemporary topics adorn the sides of the matatus. Matatus have flashy lights and onboard entertainment to pull crowds. Like rolling local radio stations, these minibuses play homegrown music at top volume promoting up and coming artists.
Matatu owners cough up a lot of money to ensure their vehicles are top class in order to beat competition and attract riders. So, they have good paint jobs, some have free onboard WiFi and flat screen televisions inside. The construction and customization of a new vehicle can cost upwards of $20,000 as it is mostly done by hand. They are a cultural phenomenon.
Just over a decade ago, the Kenyan government banned matatu art and loud music from matatus because of safety reasons. They could only have an identical single yellow line or stripe. However, the ban was lifted in 2015.
Kenya's capital has a reputation of being vibrant. This is evident after dark when locals as well as visitors mingle at different venues with good drinks or good music, or both. Genge music, is a strain of hip hop that originated in Nairobi and is quite popular at youthful joints. Jazz music is also a favorite for much older folk who prefer a quiet time after the hustle of a long day.
The city has some of the most vibrant nightclubs. Always busy throughout the week and full to the brim on weekends. Outside the clubs, you will find food vendors selling samosas, sausages and other Kenyan delicacies.
Other than clubs, most Nairobi businesses operate for 24 hours a day. The city is very fast-paced. The lifting of the 10p.m. to 4a.m curfew, which was a COVID 19 containment measure, came as great relief for business owners of restaurants and food joints, supermarkets, as well as long-distance transport services.
The word 'sheng' is coined from two languages; Swahili and English. This term was first recorded in 1965. The Eastland's neighborhood of Nairobi, also known as the slum or ghetto, is the birthplace of sheng which is a Kenyan slang. It can be assumed to be the first language of many Kenyans in urban areas such as Nairobi.
Like all slang, Sheng is mainly used by the youth and is part of popular culture in Kenya. It evolves rapidly, as words are moved into and out of slang use. Sheng is heard among matatu drivers and touts and on social media. Most Sheng words are introduced in various communities and schools and given wide exposure by music artists such as Mejja and Sailors, who include them in their lyrics.
Although the grammar, syntax and much of its vocabulary are drawn from Swahili, Sheng borrows from the languages of some of the largest ethnic groups in Kenya such as Kamba, Kikuyu, Luhya and Luo. Words are also borrowed from languages that are neither local nor English or Swahili. For example, the word 'morgen' meaning 'morning, is a Sheng word used in some areas with a similar meaning in German.
Knowing a word or 2 in sheng, like 'Niaje' meaning 'Hello' and 'Cheki' meaning 'Look', would come in handy when you visit Nairobi, Kenya.
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