Art and Photographic outings around Nairobi

Nairobi’s newest extention Konza has compelling landscapes and sunsets like these ones that will captivate any creative minds day long!

Text & Images
©Muoki Kioko 2009-2012

Subscribe at the bottom of this page to receive email notifications of new articles

or
Tweet| @muokikioko

Hiking around Nairobi

Hiking around the escarpment and ‘The Saddle’ are both exhilirating, beautiful and rewarding. Both are one day trips. Word of caution though – the escarpment walk at times has the cape buffalo(what’s your hiking experience?)

Text & Images
©Muoki Kioko 2009-2012

Subscribe at the bottom of this page to receive email notifications of new articles

or
Tweet| @muokikioko

Micro Photography around Nairobi

Wasps are common around homes and they are noted for their painful stings especially when you near their nests.
Why do they spend their day on the nest?
Here is a micro(*not macro) photograph of the nests contents shot with a phone camera.

Text & Images
©Muoki Kioko 2009-2011

Subscribe at the bottom of this page to receive email notifications of new articles

or
Tweet| @muokikioko

Donate towards site upkeep| MPesa or Western Union to +254722891689

Tracing Early Man in Nairobi

Nairobi happens to be the store house of ALL but One of all the important pieces of evidence of early man discovered in the eastern Africa region ranging from the famous Zijanthropus to Turkana boy, Procumbus and tools from the largest stone tool site ever discovered! You can view replicas, or at a surplus fee the originals. Replica’s can also be easily ordered for personal collection.

Text & Images
©Muoki Kioko 2009-2011

Subscribe at the bottom of this page to receive email notifications of new articles

or
Tweet| @muokikioko

Donate towards site upkeep| MPesa or Western Union to +254722891689

Site seeing, shrines & picnic sites

This is one of the many site seeing sites just out of Nairobi, giving views of ‘mua hill’s, mt.Kilimambogo, lukenya hills, as well as acting as a catholic shrine. KomaRock!

BIRD WATCHING AROUND NAIROBI

Every wednesday mornings and every 3rd sunday of the month birders meet at ‘The National Museum’ at 8:45am and depart for a birding outing in and around Nairobi.
It is also a good starting point to select a knowledgable bird guide like “me”.
*more info on birding locations around Nairobi, purchase ‘In & about Nairobi k tour options‘ by Muoki kioko (ISBN 9966-05-161-9). either from leading bookstores or online.

A Day Out With Children In Nairobi

A day out with children in a nature surrounding is both fulfilling, Hilarious and Tiring (((((((but well spent!)))). It also gives numerous opportunities for photography. Ooh and does their mischief come out with new space!!!

Face to Face with a giraffe!

Children@Nairobi safari walk

Nairobi’s cottage industry

A new industry is emerging in Kenya albeit unexpectedly. What started out as a craft industry is now taking new heights. In the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s open leather shoes made in Kenya were special treats you bought as a souvenior. Then came the “akala” i.e shoe made of tyres usually worn by the maasai. This was an everlasting shoe worn in rural ares never taken seriously until about year 2000 when some young men from eastlands part of Nairobi started funkidizing them! That caught the attention of youth and in a short while they were being exported as environmentally friendly shoes. Meanwhile the shoe industry was being controlled by ‘Bata’ an international outfit and a few imported shoes from India,pakistan and Europe. However in the 2000′s Ethiopia began exporting through Eastliegh(little Mogadishu in Nairobi) their leather shoes. This upped the game in closed shoes with Bata going high end. That ‘Akala’shoe had set a spark in Kenyans imagination and shortly someone started imitating Bata’s popular ‘Safari Boot’ closed shoes. In a short while Bata took Legal action because of loss of local Market – Bata had sold their shoe at a premium,while the cottage industry sold as common mans shoe, therefore low priced(pocket friendly). But by this time the cottage industry had discovered a mass market and were unstoppable, they quickly tapped into Bata’sschool designs which even had a bigger market! More market, more employment, more money (never give a Kenyan a chance to put in a toe). These same Kenyans soon started looking back at the Akalla success, and the Kenyan Curio market which they soon realised had a clientel known as women who loved open shoes. Creativity that brought the Akalla to the market was applied to the open souvenier leather shoes and the rest is History. Today Bata is copying designs from that cottage industry which seems to evolve weekly and expand too as production is sectionalised and people specialize in different sections of the shoe production. Prices are coming down and so is the indstry expanding with exploration of different manufacture materials. Watch out for shoes from Kenya, born and breed at Kariokor cottage industry – Kenyas new home to low end leather shoes for Africans! ps:Image shoesa shopper (possibly) wholeseller buyer shopping at Kariokor.

Overlooked places to visit

Lake Elementaita: One of those beautiful spots often overlooked. a beautiful lake just 1 and a half hours from Nairobi that has Flamingos and is a breeding ground for pelicans and that has sunrises to behold!

Theatre in Nairobi