Nairobi on my Mind...

"And believe it or not, someone is rich enough to fly his kid to school in a helicopter!"

I was struck by the resplendent skyscrapers of Nairobi as we drove from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport into the belly of the city on a rainy night.

Shiny lights from the colossal buildings blitzed the night sky as we glided down the street towards my lodgement. It was 1 am Nairobi time, but the sights and sounds of the sprawling city kept me awake and curious.

The street narrowed as we went off the highway towards Kilimani. But for the poorly lit streets, Nairobi may compare to downtown New York any day.

Nairobi's cold weather, clean streets, beautiful boulevards and undulating roads provide a spark of nature that is pleasantly striking.

Kenyans have won the war against sachet water and the notorious polythene bag. The city's forest cover is lively with greens, for you dare not cut down a tree in your own house or garden without the express permission of the city council.

As a result, the gutters run freely, the streets are clean, the air is refreshingly pure, and man and nature cohabit peacefully in perfect harmony.

By jove, Kenyans love their tea! The industry is sustained by multinationals, private entities and cooperatives made up of hundreds of thousands of local farmers. They grow their own tea and drink their own coffee. Every Kenyan drinks an average of 5 cups of tea daily, with 94 percent of households consuming the precious beverage routinely.

Understandably, they would offer you tea ahead of water, and coffee ahead of chapati (a local wheat meal). You would become an avid tea drinker by the time Kenya is done with you! And mind you, no one returns from Kenya without "smuggling" the substance back home.

By contrast, although Ghana is the home of cocoa, multinational interest in its cultivation is nil, private company involvement is negligible and so is cooperative farmer participation. The result is evident in the dwindling fortunes of the product over the years.

Most Ghanaians can't afford the beverage, let alone take a bite of its more prestigious counterpart--- the chocolate.

Government monopoly has priced cocoa products above most households. Consequently, the beverage has lost its appeal and ownership among ordinary folk. Recent statistics of per capita consumption of cocoa in Ghana puts the figure at a miserable 0.5 kilograms compared with over 10 kilograms in other countries.

Unless you are in Ghana for a conference in one of those lofty hotels, you might never know you are in the home of cocoa!

Kenya is a model not only in its approach to sports education, but also in the development of creative arts. Pupils have the chance to acquire and develop their talents in theatre arts and music from the local to the national level.

My visit coincided with an incident that exposed the deep political divisions beneath the peaceful facade of Kenyan society.

Students from Butere Girls High School, having excelled at various competitions with their play, "The Echoes of War," were scheduled for a performance that could qualify them to stage the play before the president.

But the police, acting by inspiration from the government, broke into the crowd, tear- gassed and dispersed everybody, leading to the cancellation of the film festival.

Written by Cleopas Malala, a playwright who doubles as a veritable critic of the government, the play is thought to depict current political realities in that country.

But which President would sit by unconcerned for students to lampoon, parody and disgrace his government even if it is soundly corrupt?

Kenyans may be going through a political nightmare under William Ruto whose reputation for alleged corruption is quite pervasive in the city, but they have many things to be thankful for.

The country has a flourishing mobile internet market, cushioned by investment and heavy infrastructural development that has improved broadband access impressively.

Every business provides its clients with super fast internet connectivity --- a rare freebie in many parts of Africa.

And believe it or not, someone is rich enough in Nairobi to fly his kid to school in a helicopter! If it were possible, he would drop him right into the classroom from the blue sky!

Such egregious showmanship is a rarity in many African countries, but not in Nairobi, where nothing is impossible. The super rich live in Lang'ata, Westlands, Upper Hill and other rich neighbourhoods, drowned in forests of beauty and money. You may drive through those places but you dare not stop. But why would you even want to stop?

The safaris and irksome matatus nearly escaped me. And so too the traffic boys who cajole drivers with their dull acrobatics for a few Kenyan shillings!

"Karibu" (welcome to) Nairobi --- a paradise away from home --- the "green city in the sun" where Africa shines brightest.