Location Profile
Nairobi
Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, occupies roughly 150 square kilometers in Central Kenya. The population of approximately 3.5 million is made up primarily of four people groups: the Kikuyus, Kambas, Meru, and Embu. Because Nairobi is a cosmopolitan city, there are many other people groups that reside in the area. In addition to their native tribal dialects, the majority of Nairobi’s residents are fluent in both Swahili and English.
The Kenyan capital has no metro or overland train service, other than the main rail line that runs through the city en route to Mombasa or Kisumu. All public transport in Nairobi is by public buses (Kenya Bus), large minibuses (Metro Shuttles), and the ever-present matatus that ply hundreds of routes throughout the city. A major new campaign by the Kenyan Government has helped to instill a greater sense of safety on Kenya’s roads, including the mandatory use of seatbelts and speed governors by all matatus. Despite this, however, the poor condition of roads and famously erratic driving standards continue to make transport by matatu a dangerous and unpredictable business.
Nairobi is blessed with one of the most pleasant climates in the world. The city’s status as regional capital has also helped to create one of Africa’s most international leisure spots, with some of the continent’s finest hotels, restaurants, and modern and cultural entertainments. And, of course, Nairobi remains the center of Africa’s very first 'safari business', with a range of wildlife, cultural and sporting adventures that are second to none. However, the growing migration of jobless rural residents to Nairobi continues to put increasing pressure on the growing urban slums. Levels of sanitation coverage and accessibility to safe water remain pitifully low and unemployment and extreme poverty have contributed to one of the world’s highest prevalence’s of HIV infection.
Nairobi hosts some of the most dense, unsanitary and insecure slums in the world. Slum dwellers constitute the majority of the city's population; an estimated 60 per cent of the city's official total population lives in slums and informal settlements. Most of the residents earn a meager living through casual jobs in the city's building and manufacturing industries and from prostitution. Malnutrition, disease (especially air and waterborne diseases), drug abuse, poor sanitation, poor garbage disposal, high crime rates and above all, hopelessness are endemic here. The Government has sought to provide social facilities like schools, hospitals, clean water, toilets etc. to the slum dwellers. However, the Government alone is not in a position to meet all the needs of the people and that is why the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and churches become vital.
Operation Harvest is working hand and hand with the church to bring hope to the hopeless. This field worker will assist the local churches in Nairobi as they equip their lay people to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only hope a lost and dying world can depend upon.
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