This is a continuation of my previous thread on Nyeri. But before I continue, I wish to dispense with matters arising from that thread where some ktalkers started bashing and attacking the good people of Nyeri. First, the notion that Nyeri people do not support ‘outsider’ businesses. As a person who has spent several years in Nyeri, I can say this is not entirely true. Several garages in Nyeri are owned by Luos and most of the mechanics and spray painters in these garages are Luos. Indians’ owned supermarkets, shops and wholesale stores are always full of shoppers and some of them have become very rich just by operating in Nyeri. I think those people saying that Nyeri people do not buy from outsiders are just making excuses for their failure to make it in Nyeri or it is the normal ‘stereotyping’ of gikuyus.(NB: this does not apply to karatina)
I also do not support the comment that if you are not from Nyeri, the shopkeepers sell to you at higher prices. I have lived in Nyeri for several years continuously until mid last year and even though I am not a kikuyu nor do I speak kikuyu, I have never experienced such kind of discrimination or any attempt to. It is also not true that Nyeri women look like men. I have gone to many towns in Kenya and I can confidently say that Nyeri rank top there when it comes to ‘beautiful women’. Whether they are marriageable or not is another issue.
Lastly, that Nyeri bars stay afloat because of prostitutes. I can categorically say this is not true. Excluding Nairobi, Eld, and kisii( not sure of this), Nyeri has some of the smartest and well kept bars/pubs in Kenya. You find no prostitutes in most of these bars except in about 3 of them which operate like brothels. Having patronised many of these bars, I can say that, even though some are not that popular, they are kept afloat by beer sales. By the way, you only need to sell an average of one crate per day, say in an estate pub, to stay afloat. Of course like any other urban centre, trappers (Wanjohi Kigogoine, 2010) may go hunting anywhere, even in the best of clubs.
(Next: living in Nyeri and why I think the poor in Nyeri have been forgotten)
White rhino:
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/57/f9/d9/bar-restaurant.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2528/5739521569_b5cd9fe611_z.jpg
Bells in:
http://nyerionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bellins1.jpg
Outspan hotel:
https://www.safarinow.com/db/id/1193313/g332926.jpg
Aberdare country club (Near mweiga):
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/04/c7/a2/7f/aberdare-country-club.jpg
Club dreams:
http://www.nyerionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/club-Dreams-Nyeri-300x225.jpg
Giraffes ark:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C06V19szKEo/VPO5-EEHGdI/AAAAAAAAAPs/h2_1WEnVklY/s240-k-no/3W1A7246.jpg
http://www.giraffeark.com/assets/images/home/6813.jpg
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/images/sunday/imgrmhqri8c.jpg