Benson Kinyale is a security guard who works the door at a luxury apartment complex in the Parklands neighbourhood of Nairobi. While residents of the building have started to hoard supplies and stay at home because of Covid-19, he continues to make the 80km commute by bus from his home outside the city, six days a week.
He knows standing outside and opening doors all day is now a high-risk activity, as is travelling on a crowded matatu minibus almost every day. But he has little choice.
“I know the virus is here. I wash my hands, but there’s no way I can stay home and quarantine, I don’t make enough,” says Kinyale. “I’m not worried yet, I’ll only stay home if it’s a real emergency.”
Coronavirus cases have shot up in the past two weeks. On Thursday, one person had died from the virus and 31 cases had been officially recorded. The way people in Nairobi have reacted to the outbreak has thrown the country’s inequalities into sharp relief.
A wave of the city’s sizeable expat community, from UN staff to NGO volunteers, have chosen to fly back to their home countries, often at the behest of their embassies. Read more…
