Nairobi is presented as Kenya’s national capital and a multicultural city of about 1.5 million people. Many residents are rural migrants, and both Swahili and English are spoken. Churches, mosques, and temples serve diverse religious communities, while restaurants offer Indian, Chinese, Arabian, and European cuisines alongside local urban life.

The city’s built environment reflects sharp social inequality. Wealthy residential districts contain mansions set in large gardens, while other residents live in crowded row houses, blocks of flats, or shacks made from wood and plastic sheets. During the early colonial period, Africans, Europeans, and Asians were segregated according to occupation and income, with Europeans controlling much of the economy and administration.

Traffic congestion is a major problem, and public transportation is essential for much of the population. Matatus, individually owned minibuses, operate from designated stages and also pick up passengers along roads. Their brightly painted bodies, loud music, overcrowding, aggressive competition among conductors, and routine bribe payments to police make them both accessible and hazardous.