They also forgot to notice that there are no nominated Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), MPs or senators in the US. And there are no women representatives (reps). Which other country has women reps?
They forgot to give Nairobi a national status like capital cities such as Washington DC in the US, Abuja in Nigeria, Brasilia in Brazil or Canberra in Australia.
Nairobi is both a county and a seat of the national government. Why else is its governor Johnson Sakaja and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua having a conversation over matatus entering the central business district (CBD) or bars in residential places?
Does this conversation leave no doubt that the city of Nairobi is torn between the past and the present?
And Why? Nairobi has a triple heritage. It has tried to be an international city hosting the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and Habitat offices. Lots of international institutions and businesses have their headquarters there.A proliferation of malls was part of that ‘internationalisation.’ Lots of global brands are found in these malls. Add the setting up of the Nairobi International Financial Centre.
The arrival of elite hotel brands such as Raddison, Hilton, Crowne Plaza, and Sheraton, among others is part of that ‘internationalisation.’
Hilton has left me perplexed: They closed the CBD hotel but have opened ‘Hiltonlets’ on the outskirts of the city.
Does that show how the CBD has lost its lustre? It seems that the CBD will soon be left to the government.
