Kenyans veer between hope for prosperity and wariness as UN plans relocation of key offices from high-cost Western cities.
Nairobi, Kenya – In the shadow of gleaming glass towers in the upmarket neighbourhood of Gigiri – where manicured lawns meet the edge of Karura Forest and United Nations staff in air-conditioned vehicles glide past security checkpoints – lies a different reality just minutes away.
In the cramped alleyways of Githogoro slum, just 2km (about a mile) from where Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, may soon host more UN offices and staff, Agnes Karimi cuts meat on a wooden table under the scorching sun, watching her stock spoil in the heat because she has no electricity to power a refrigerator.
While the UN complex boasts state-of-the-art conference facilities and reliable power, Karimi’s meat spoils daily in her small butchery.
The contrast could not be starker as Kenya readies for what local officials herald as a historic transformation.
