Any ordinary individual could possibly thrive in a creepy metropolitan full of complexities like Nairobi, the city under the sun is a naked lie. Not just anybody. Not everybody. Take this from an up – close and more personal view.
I also allude to the ordinary citizen life experiences that exist as tantrum tales. But which are savagely nothing but naked truths. There are people who are constantly scheming behind the scenes to profiteer from other citizens stupidity,ignorance and lack of exposure for that matter. People who are willing to make your days in the city longer and your nights shorter leaving you in limbo state; transfixed to the ground rather baffled.
As a matter of fact, there exist people who are so wired into the trades of pick-pocketing, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, sexual assault and sundries. People who savor their artistry, seek and pursue it so meticulously that the victim thinks they are the careless ones and aptly disorganized.
Here are among many a couple of skills one needs to have at their disposal to survive in Nairobi city.
Critical thinking; coming across the artillery of con men along Accra Road who sell substandard eye catching smartphones that magically turn out to be toys when you get to your house requires thought.They show you a good phone yet sell you a toy at a throw away price you think you have hit the jackpot. Nobody likes it when they are short changed. Especially not a hustler who tries to make ends meet on a daily basis. Mark you, it takes a lot to pinpoint such kind fellows and opt for an alternative route. The sooner the better.
Time management;You are probably in the Central Business District, running a couple of formal errands. You have more than five plans on your day’s schedule around Nairobi. In a matatu of choice, that you are not familiar with alighting suddenly at risky spots around shoddy stages in outskirts is a damn triumphant lie. Common to us is the term “kukanyagiwa” You don’t want to waste even an ounce of a second since time itself is money. Money you are hustling hard for.
Calculative mentality;Buying from hawkers in the vicinity of county alias kanjos is not quite an easy fete to achieve. Not just anybody. Not everybody can pull such kind strut and come out convincingly successful afterwards. Not in Nairobi. When dealing with hawkers secure the merchandise first then pay the hawker not the other way round, here hawkers are always on the run.
Interpersonal skills; the last thing you would want is to agitate the bitter,temperamental hustling citizenry. Having both the capacity,nature and adaptive mechanisms to deal with people around the city is very vital. The streets are harsh, you rattle a wrong number making him or her offended. This might start your day on a bad note.
Living under pressure; finding yourself reminiscing how possibly you could get to your destination around the city amidst slippery pick pockets that have taken up fortified positions within the streets of the city under the sun? I could assure you ten times over that you would have to toughen up. In Nairobi it is much more of a survival of the fittest kind of setting. Holding your bag like a one week old baby when walking in some streets; the likes of Tom Mboya street, Globe, Keekorok, Grogan, Railways require the spontaneous vitality of the aforementioned skill. Having that laptop backpack makes you a target to both big time and small time city thieves.
Analytical Thinking; Mark my words. In Nairobi, you dearly require such a skill. At least for survival measures. How to bargain until you pity the seller, bargain like you have never bargained before, bargain like you will never bargain again. This is whatever I insinuate. You probably have got 500 shillings to ‘ferry’ you through the week on stomach matters, every penny has to be accounted for should you fancy yourself surviving for a full month.
Risk management;Smelling tear gas from a far and developing a defense mechanism which in most scenarios involves hiding in the nearest shop or boarding the nearest matatu only to alight afterwards. Far from the police barricaded zone is one tactic one must have in Nairobi town. Nobody will teach you this.
Emotional intelligence; It comes with no illustration how a nuisance street families around the CBD and flyovers can be. One needs to be smart and sharp at the same time. Know exactly how and when to escape these street lads that sell sweets and those of “brathe itakuaje, hata ka ten bob” You don’t just buy every story. Not any story. “Apathy – ed” persons could find it difficult avoiding such pocket siphoning street individuals and tattered – clothed city children
