Discover NAIROBI: The Capital City of KENYA | 10 INTERESTING FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT IT

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 5,500 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. In this video, you will discover 10 interesting facts about Nairobi. Before that, if you are new to the channel, subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you don't miss any of our videos. Matatu Culture Most cities in the world identify the 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 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 panels. Once the blank canvas 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 sights of the matatus. Matatus are flashy lights and on-board entertainment to poor 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 and in order to beat competition and attract riders. So they have good paint jobs. Some have free on-board Wi-Fi and flat-screen televisions inside. The construction and customization of a new vehicle can cost upwards of $20,000 and 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. It could only have an identical single yellow line or stripe. However, the ban was lifted in 2015. Nairobi Metropolitan Area Nairobi is found within the Greater Nairobi Metropolitan Region, which consists of far out of 47 counties in Kenya, which generates about 60% of the entire nation's GDP. Home to over 7 million people, the Nairobi Metropolitan Area is Kenya's principal economic and cultural center. The counties include Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Mashakos, and Muranga. Nairobi Metropolitan Region has recorded a growth rate of 3.1%. In 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta created the Nairobi Metropolitan Services, or the NMS, headed by Major General Mohamed Badi of the Kenyan Air Force. The NMS is in charge of some functions of the Nairobi City-County, which were transferred to the national government. They include fighting corruption in the county, streamlining urban renewal projects, reactivation of garbage collection and implementation of solid waste management plans, and decongesting the city center by reintroducing the use of traffic signals. Vibrant nightlife 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 music or good drinks, or both. Genga 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'll 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 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew, which was a COVID-19 containment measure, came as a great relief for business owners of restaurants and food joints, supermarkets, as well as long-distance transport services. Sheng The word Sheng is coined from two languages, Swahili and English. This term was first recorded in 1965. The Islands 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 in and out of the slang use. Sheng is heard among matatu drivers and touts on social media. Most Sheng words are introduced in various communities and schools and are given wide exposure by music artists such as mage 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 language of some of the largest ethnic groups in Kenya such as Kamba, Kiyuku, Luya and Luwo. Words are borrowed from languages that are neither local nor English or Swahili. For example, the word Morgan, meaning morning, is a Sheng word used in some areas with a similar meaning in German. Knowing a word or two in Sheng, like Nyahe, meaning hello and Cheki, meaning look, would come in handy when you visit Nairobi, Kenya. City with a National Park Nairobi is the only city in the world with a national park. It is in the city's southern suburbs, while at the park, one can see the wildlife with a backdrop of the city skyline. A short drive out of Nairobi's central business district will get you to the park. Scattered acacia bushes play host to a variety of animals including the endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and a wide variety of over 400 species of birds. For corporate events, bush dinners, weddings, picnics, team building sessions or video and film production, a visit to Moko Yeti, Impala and Kingfisher picnic sites as well as the historical ivory burning site would be absolutely amazing. Hub of Art and Culture in East Africa Nairobi city is the cultural hub of art and other high-end events and concerts. The Kenya National Theatre and Kenya National Archives are found in the city. Several art galleries can be found at the city too, including the Rahim Tula Museum of Modern Nairobi. The city boasts of having the annual East African Art Auction, the largest in the region that has taken place since 2013. This auction has put Nairobi on the contemporary art map in Africa, despite stiff competition from Cape Town and Lagos. Nairobi is also a refuge for those fleeing conflict across the region. In the process, they tell their stories in various ways, creating one of the continent's most exciting art scenes. For example, one poet, K2 from South Sudan. He has lived most of his adult life in Kenya and loves to perform poetry in counties like Nairobi, but his motherland, to raise awareness on political unrest, its effect on people's lives and the importance of love, peace and unity. There are creative hubs like Power 254 in Nairobi, through which innovative professionals from diverse artistic fields exploit their creative genius to foster social change. Creatives such as photographers, graphic artists, journalists, musicians and poets collaborate in this dynamic space. Promising youths are invited to make their contribution to this informal powerhouse and to receive mentorship from experts. The result of this has been great social impact, especially in areas such as slums and schools. This space is an open resource for a range of collaborative youth meetings and efforts, an exhibition center for photography and journalism, as well as other artistic endeavors. The city was founded in 1899. It was founded in 1899 by colonial authorities in British East Africa. This was a result of the rail depot on the Uganda Railway. The town grew fast. Between 1902 and 1910, the population in Nairobi rose from 5,000 to 16,000. The rise in numbers around the city was due to administrative activities and tourism. Most of the tourists that visited were for the game hunting, which was illegal though. In 1907, Nairobi replaced Machakos as the capital of Kenya. In 1919, Nairobi was declared a municipality. In March 1950, Nairobi municipality became a city by the Royal Charter of Incorporation. After independence in 1963, Nairobi became the capital of the Republic of Kenya. Nairobi means cool waters. Nairobi comes from the Maasai phrase, Enkare Nairobi, which translates to cool water. It is in reference to the Nairobi River, which flows through the city. Nairobi prides itself with having great natural sceneries like the arboretum, several parks like the John Mishuki Park, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Giraffe Center, City Park, Karura Forest, Ngun Hills, Nairobi Mamba Village, Ulula Nature Trail, Yenaviv Gardens, Elephant Deal, Snake Park, Silole Sanctuary, Uhuru Park, Nairobi Educational Park, Paradise Lost, Central Park, and Uhuru Gardens Memorial Park. With problems like pollution and deforestation, the above scenic reference to Nairobi has become threatened. Environmentalists like the late Wangari Mati, in conjunction with the country government, have however intervened greatly with the restorative measures, like planting of trees and cleaning of parks and rivers. River Nairobi, for example, has been for a long time under cleaning to rid it of waste. Street Food Given that everyone in Nairobi is busy, always rushing to secure the bag, quick and easy meals are the solution for many. It is an unspoken rule that different types of street foods are prepared at different times of the day. In the morning, you'll easily find chapatis, a type of flat cake, mandazis, deep fried donut, samosas, boiled corn, fried cassava, boiled sweet potatoes, and freshly baked cakes in buckets or push carts, tea and coffee sold in flasks for your breakfasts. By midday until evening, there is grilled corn, fries, deep fried fish, smoky pasua, a type of smoked sausage, mayai gonga, a hard-boiled egg with kachumbari, and stew, green grams, lentils, or beans. As the darkness sets in, you'll definitely come across mutura, goat or beef tripe full with ground meat and blood, mshikaki, a grilled kebab, and mahindi korma, or roasted maize, with a dash of lemon and masala. Snacks such as popcorn and ground nuts can also keep your mouth busy as you walk the streets of Nairobi. Roads To address the traffic menace that has for years affected road users in Nairobi, the government has for a while now undertaken several road construction projects. Nairobi now has highways that connect it with major towns like Mombasa, Ashakos, Eldoret, Kisumu, Naivasha, Naikuru, and the Namanga border. In 2012, the then-Kenyan president, Mweki Baki, officially inaugurated the superhighway connecting Nairobi to Tika. The Nairobi-Tika superhighway, for example, covers locations such as Marsabit, Isiolo, and Moyale. It is part of the Great North Trans-African Highway. There is a great interconnection of roads with footbridges, service lanes, interchanges, and roundabouts in several parts of Nairobi. Without the help of a guide or Google Maps, it is almost a guarantee that as a visitor, you will get lost a couple of times in the big city. We have now come to the end of our video. Now you have some facts about Nairobi, which is one of the top 10 destinations to visit in Africa. Remember to give us a thumbs up if you liked it and leave us a comment below. Until next time, bless.