Amongst the city in the sun’s numerous streets, avenues, lanes and walks, there are some that just stand out in their own way. Take RiverRoad for instance, popular for the classy and expensively pimped coast buses and a string of Indian shops with funny collections of stock (Like one that purely sells buttons, just buttons). Ronald Ngala Street; popular for the noisy Githurai buses, notorious for speeding and snaking their way through spaces even mkokoteni operators cannot dare. Aru Lane; filled with small shops selling liqour of all kinds even when all wines and spirits outlets around Nairobi have been closed down.
But there is one short lane that just marvels me by its special ability to attract crowds. About 50 metres long, connecting two of the busiest streets in the city – Tom Mboya Street and Moi Avenue – is Tom Mboya Walk. Every day of the week, any time of the day, there has to be a crowd gathered somewhere along this walk. Be it the dread-locked acrobats whose sense of humour cannot go unnoticed, or the special doctors from the village who have come to rescue the city dwellers from city illnesses using herbal medicines, or the shameless men of the cloth who recite verses of the Bible back and forth till they get to the part of asking for offering, or remuneration since that is exactly what it is.
The Legendary Tom Mboya, stands adjacent the walk, lifting his right hand in affirmation, oblivious of the hundreds of passers – by being scorched by the fierce Nairobi sun, especially on a Wednesday afternoon. He is often surrounded by historical paintings and images with information about pre – colonial Kenya detailing the nation’s journey to independence.
The walk cuts in between Kenya National Archives and the ‘Mr Price Building’. Archives. This is a very popular term that every city dweller is familiar with since that is the only location that everyone can identify with and have planned to meet there with someone at some time in their lives. Any time of any day, the seats around this ancient historical building are filled with people waiting for their planned date, or business partner or simply just passing time waiting to see whether the legendary Tom Mboya can rise back to his feet.
It is amazing how irresistible it is to just peek through the crowd and see what is going on at the middle. Kenyans dressed in suits and neck ties stand out in the sunlight for hours for a little bit of this unique form of entertainment. The acrobats make fun of the audience as they perform their crazy and prolonged stunts. They (acrobats) get to a pre – climax and ask for money so as to continue and the now addicted audience dig into their pockets and throw coins (sometimes notes) so that the fun can continue.
The jokes are usually on them; their clothing, their looks, their standing posture, their relationships, their marriages, their jobs – just them. However, the audience still manages to laugh at themselves since they know it is the reality. After a long day’s work, the audience gets to have fun and laugh off their poor pay, their indecent dressing, their drunkenness, their infidelity, their promiscuity and about anything that the acrobats talk about. When the show is over, everyone claps and goes home smiling, making a new friend as they discuss and laugh at the funniest details of the show.
They wish that the same can be repeated the following day, since they know they will wake up next to a spouse they no longer love or to go to a job they do not like anymore. But at the end of the day, they will pass by Tom Mboya Walk and get insulted about their lifestyle again and then laugh it off since they know it is the truth. But then, who tells the truth in such a humorous way that really cracks them up?
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