Laura (aka Makena) was born and grew up in Lecco, a town in northern Italy. She definitely moved to Kenya in 2015. She speaks Italian, English and a little broken Swahili.
ABOUT
It will take forever for me to explain what I do…I have a degree in nursing and for the first 4 years in Kenya that is what I have been doing as a volunteer worker in Kenya. I also have been teaching ballet for a while. Nowadays I teach English and Ballet online with some part time jobs online. Soon I will be starting a full time job for the Italian Institute of Culture in Nairobi.
Moving to Nairobi
When and why did you move to Nairobi?
The first time I set foot on the red soil of Kenya was in 2011: as a degree gift I went for a working holiday in Meru (a rural area in Kenya) for a month.
After this experience, the desire to return and get to know this country better remained within me.
So in October 2013 I left with a one-way ticket to Kiirua, a very small town still in the Meru region, to serve as a volunteer nurse in a hospital.
This experience lasts a year and during this year, in addition to being passionate about work, I also get to know Tom, the man who is now my husband.
I went back to Italy, but my heart remained in Kiirua. So I redo the documents to be able to return and stay in Kenya for a longer period.
In 2015 I moved permanently to Kenya.
For the first 4 years I continued living and volunteering in Kiirua. In the meantime, however, I got married and therefore at a certain point I left my job in the hospital to follow my husband. He was living and working in Nairobi so, in July 2019, I joined him and we started living together after several years of long distance relationship.
What is Nairobi famous for?
First of all Nairobi is known as the capital city of Kenya. It is a fast growing city, the biggest in East Africa and one of the most developed in Africa. In between expat it’s famous because there are the headquarters of the UN and it is relatively cosmopolitan.
Nairobi is also famous for being the only city in the world with a National Park. It is a small park where to do a safari compared to others more famous in Kenya, but it is very interesting to see giraffes or lions in the savanna with at the background the skyscraper of the city.
What surprised you about life in Nairobi?
Having been living in Kenya for 4 years I already knew a bit of Nairobi when I moved here. The thing that surprised me the most are the two faces of the city: next to rich neighbourhoods there are slums. A villa next to a house made with iron sheets. Some people can live in Nairobi with less than 2 US dollars a day and other people might have a western lifestyle that might bring them to spend thousands of dollars a month. Nairobi has 2 different faces and so many different shades in between!
How did you find an apartment in Nairobi?
My husband was already living in Ngong (outskirts of Nairobi). He found the apartment where we live by word of mouth. He knew someone already living in the area and through this person we got some contacts of people renting an apartment. Ngong is very cheap compared to Nairobi. A rented home can go from 10.000ksh/month (a little less than 100€) for a single bedroom to 60.000ksh/month (less than 600€) for a 4 bedroom with an independent garden.
Nairobi town is definitely more expensive. In some neighbourhoods houses can be as expensive as a capital city in Europe: in Kileleshwa, Lavington or Westlands a single bedroom can be around 50.000ksh/month (less than 500€), neighbourhoods like Girgiri, Runda or Karen can be more expensive.
Nairobi town is definitely more expensive. In some neighbourhoods houses can be as expensive as a capital city in Europe: in Kileleshwa, Lavington or Westlands a single bedroom can be around 50.000ksh/month (less than 500€), neighbourhoods like Girgiri, Runda or Karen can be more expensive.
How can Italians immigrate to Kenya?
There are different types of visas for Italians to immigrate to Kenya.
Personally I started with a class I visa. This type of visa is for people working for religious institutions or Non-Profit or charitable work. It isn’t an easy visa to obtain and requires help and support from the organisation you are working with. Once approved it is valid for 2 years and renewal is easier than the first approval.
After this kind of visa I had a dependent pass. This kind of visa is given to spouses of a Kenyan citizen or a resident. This visa is renewable as long as the requirements (most important wedding certificate) are valid, but doesn’t allow you to work.
Another very common way to get residency in Kenya is with a “working visa”. There are different classes for this type of visa and cost and requirement can vary according to the class and the type of job.
Last, but not least, it is possible to come to Kenya with a student visa.
What did you bring with you?
I didn’t carry much with me from home! Just clothes, few personal effects and nothing more. With time I added a few things that living in Kenya I realised I was missing like a moka for coffee and a colander, both of them very Italian style 😉 . As an Italian then, every time I go to visit home I come back to Kenya with some food that might be difficult to find or quite expensive, like Grana Padano, prosciutto, pesto, etc.
Living in Nairobi
Can you tell me something about local culture that people might not know?
Matatu is an important part in Nairobians culture. Matatu are the local “public” transport. They can be big buses or vans. What makes them special is the fact that the more noisy and pimped they are the more Nairobians love them! You will see them speeding in the streets of the city with multicolor lights and graffiti on them. Each of them has a different theme and the colours, the light and the music they play relates to that. Young people in Nairobi love them and I advise anyone who wants to know local kenyans life to try them at least once if in Nairobi.
What should people consider before deciding to move to the Nairobi?
An advice I always give to those who are considering moving to Nairobi is to spend some time in the city before making the final decision. Many people, in fact, after a holiday in Kenya decide that they want to move here, just to find out that not everything is the same once you aren’t a tourist anymore. For this reason I advise to use the one time entry visa for at least 3 months (if not 6) to have time to know the country better, the people and their culture before moving permanently.
What books, movies, music do you recommend to learn more about Nairobi?
Many authors have been writing about Kenya, but the Kenya we usually read about in Western countries is the one of the Masai and the wild savanna. I am sure many might know “Out of Africa” and “ The White Masai”, but what is described there doesn’t represent the real and modern Nairobi. A book I seriously advise you to read if you want to know this city is “The cockroach dance” by Meja Mwangi. Other Kenyan authors that describe Kenya and Nairobi in a realistic way are Wangari Maathai and Ngûgî wa Thiong’o.
In the netflix series “ Sense8” you can see what matatus are like because one of the protagonists is a driver in Nairobi and also the famous movie “ The Constant Gardener” was shot in Kenya, some scenes specifically in Kibera, a famous slum of Nairobi.
The best way to know a culture is through music. Kenyan and more specifically Nairobian most famous music in between young people is genge or gengetone music. Some famous gengetone artists are Mejja, Matata, Ndovu Kuu, Khaligraph Jones and Trio Mio. Other modern Kenyan musicians that I like (I am not a genge fan) are Bensol, Nviiri The Storyteller and Nyashinski.
In the netflix series “ Sense8” you can see what matatus are like because one of the protagonists is a driver in Nairobi and also the famous movie “ The Constant Gardener” was shot in Kenya, some scenes specifically in Kibera, a famous slum of Nairobi.
The best way to know a culture is through music. Kenyan and more specifically Nairobian most famous music in between young people is genge or gengetone music. Some famous gengetone artists are Mejja, Matata, Ndovu Kuu, Khaligraph Jones and Trio Mio. Other modern Kenyan musicians that I like (I am not a genge fan) are Bensol, Nviiri The Storyteller and Nyashinski.
What are some underrated places in Nairobi?
A beautiful place that deserves to be visited is Karura Forest. This forest, in the heart of Nairobi, is a green place very known between expats, but that tourists often don’t know. It is an important space for Nairobians because it is the symbol of the fight of Wangari Mathai for the conservation of this nation’s natural environment.
Other very beautiful places to visit are the Arboretum and Ngong Hills, especially if you love nature.
If you are interested in Kenyan culture I suggest a visit to the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi, where you can see traditional huts for different tribal groups, traditional dances and also eat traditional food.
And if you want to buy some souvenirs don’t just go to the famous Maasai Market, but you can visit the Kariokoor Market, a local market for kenyan handcrafted objects, like sandals, maasai ornaments and many other things.
Final Thoughts
Was it easy making friends and meeting people in Nairobi?
expats?
As an Italian it wasn’t easy for me at first to socialise with Kenyans. Except for some parts of Nairobi where foreigners are living, many people were associating my skin colour with money. Unfortunately it is in many people’s idea that all people from Western countries have money. This mentality, sometimes, made it difficult for me to have sincere friends. At first it was easier for me, then, to hang out and socialise with other expats. Slowly then people came to know me and I came to know other friends and things went better.
What has been the hardest aspect of living in Nairobi?
Probably the thing I don’t like at all about living in Nairobi is the traffic! The Nairobian traffic is hell! It can happen that to travel a few kilometres within town you might take an hour because of the traffic. Driving yourself takes courage and bravery because often matatu drivers and motorbike (called boda boda here in Kenya) riders are very reckless and their way of driving is probably considered dangerous and outlawed in Europe! If you are moving to Nairobi I seriously advise you to make sure your job place and your home won’t be too far away so as not to lose hours of your time stuck in the street every day.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING PARTICULAR?
My last year has been full of new experiences having become a mother for the first time. Soon I will also start working for the Italian Institute of Culture in Nairobi: a new job, new colleagues and new experiences are a bit scary, but also exciting for me.
Even though it isn’t easy to be a mother, a wife, a full time worker and still find time for myself I really hope to be able to continue working on my blog and on my social media. And as a last plan I hope I will be able to have a trip somewhere new very soon!
Thank you so so much Laura for sharing your rich experience living in Nairobi, and for all your recommendations! It’s gold to have such precise information to learn more about Nairobi. Best of luck to your for your new job :)) Her IG contact here!
