Nyeri: socio-political and economic

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

5 Likes

True I had so much to say on that thread I thought it wise to just shut up.

1 Like

I have a feeling that you posted this thread under duress…Is someone menacingly holding a panga over your head??o_Oo_O

4 Likes

So you are the only one who has lived there HUH o_Oo_O… are you trying to be controversial , you say something today and something else tomorrow ???

1 Like

Mine was a fair comment about land hoarding in Nyeri that has brought shortage of housing and underdevelopment of the town. It was never about the ordinary people of Nyeri. I particularly felt the issue you brought about outsiders buying goods at exaggerated prices was not true at all and being neither a kikuyu from kiambu nor a kikuyu at all, I felt that I should say this. I did not hear any non-kikuyu say that in Nyeri either.

1 Like

Nope. I am very far from Nyeri

Lets not argue about this …everyone has different experiences

I agree

@ndume can you also post mbisha za club za watu hivi hivi then we can discuss the issue in details. Hizi hapa most ni za wenyenichi

Outspan and white rhino are nice and affordable

2 Likes

I am very far from Nyeri at the moment and it will be a while before I go there. But we also have some dirty clubs, keg joints full of majengo pokos. But on average, nyeri has got good and comfortable joints.

Nyeri is a beautiful green town, but what one has to understand is major investments are not concentrated in the CBD as is the norm with most cities and towns, eg Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret etc. Investors in Nyeri prefer to invest in out of town locations mainly in the tourism and agricultural industries, this makes Nyeri county one of the most evenly invested counties in Kenya with investments scattered all across the county, you can see the same style of investment in Narok

1 Like

@ ndume. where is giraffe park?
you should have included chaka ranch.

This is description i have found:
‘Giraffe Ark Game Lodge is located 36 kilometers from Nyeri town towards Nyahururu and 6 kilometers from the main Nyeri-Nyahururu road. Set in a tranquil location in the plains of Kyeni it has magnificent views of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges. With beautifully designed rooms, restaurants, conference facilities and numerous activities the Giraffe Ark Lodge is the ideal getaway destination for business travelers and holiday makers’. You can check their website.

It is a very new place. I think it belongs to one karatina tycoon who also owns a big flour milling facility at king’ong’o and a successful hardware wholesale business.

1 Like

What I said abt Nyeri is really an honest observation. I dont know about other observations. I also dont mind people hating my opinion. What I have never experienced is tribal discrimination. Some five or six years ago people there would talk the local language to everyone including outsiders, but they have adapted with influx of people from other tribes and dissappearance of mungiki. However, it is TRUE that people in nyeri will almost always try to sell you shitty stuff or service for unreasonably high prices. I dont know whether its a cultural thing or the state of the economy. There is little business in the town. Its also true that the town closed at 6.00pm before 2011 or thereabouts, and even in recent times there is hardly any business by 8.30 pm. only being in the good books of the government has helped since 2007 or so.

Btw. the above clubs are not the only one in the town. In fact, of the above, only three are regular clubs and of those one is relatively new and in the three of them prostitutes hang in and out anyway, and they(P) are not even worth the money they ask for. The rest are high end stuff OUT OF TOWN where you find the who is who of this kenya enjoying themselves and most regular revelers have never visited. There are bars everywhere apart from the three above for such a small town.
I also dont know what is it between moneid Nyeri women and Rav4. Or is it all women?

I agree with you there, but mostly its because there is no commercialisation of land in Nyeri. Most people opt to come to Nairobi for business than set up shop at home.

The other reason why Nyeri town is the way it is, is because of its proximity to the Capital Nairobi, it only serves as a satellite centre to Nairobi:

  1. Its very cheap travelling to Nairobi
  2. One can come to Nairobi, do business and go back to Nyeri all in under 12 hours
  3. You do not have to pass through Nyeri to go to any major town or part of Africa at large

Because of this close proximity to Nairobi and its location, it does not make sense to set up do major Business in Nyeri while Nairobi is just a stones throw away.

People need to understand alot about any town before doing business anywhere. I would say that the people living in Nyeri are not poor, but make careful decisions when it comes to spending money.

1 Like

i am digging for historical posts of nyeri coz am there and feeling cold, then saw ua comment. please lead me on…

i am digging for historical posts of nyeri coz am there and feeling cold, then saw ua comment. please lead me on…