Nairobi’s reputation for crime is outdated
That is only in part thanks to its notorious police
There is an era in the history of many cities that is inextricably linked, in the public imagination, to crime and lawlessness—think 1920s Chicago or 1980s New York. For Nairobi that period is the 1990s. In the old business district, carjackings were a daily occurrence, remembers Farida Ali, a shop-owner there. Violent crime was so common that residents dubbed the Kenyan capital “Nairobbery”.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Daylight robbery”
Middle East & Africa September 21st 2024
- Israel has bloodied Hizbullah but is stuck in a war of attrition
- A theatre in Jenin offers a different kind of Palestinian resistance
- Israel’s government is again trying to hobble its Supreme Court
- Nairobi’s reputation for crime is outdated
- Floods in Nigeria’s north-east are aggravating a humanitarian crisis
From the September 21st 2024 edition
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