Ever questioned what it might be wish to stay in a tropical African metropolis or a serious Arabian concrete jungle erected in the midst of a desert? Or how dwelling in two cities might differ to the purpose of contradiction? Being a Kenyan nationwide who has lived in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and the Arab Emirate of Sharjah, I skilled two excessive ends of a spectrum. Day-to day life in the Nairobi is distinctly totally different from life in Sharjah. The obvious variations lie with on a regular basis security, prices of dwelling, authorities corruption, and key companies like healthcare and public transport.
Firstly, the overall security you are feeling dwelling in Nairobi is far decrease in comparability to sheltered Sharjah. There’s plenty of pickpocketing, hold-ups, burglaries and home invasions in Nairobi, so residents must be vigilant of their environment as a rule. As an illustration in Nairobi, to make sure private security, the vast majority of residents (expats and locals) who can afford correct dwelling lodging stay in gated condo complexes and pay a month-to-month fee for personal safety, which could be pricey.
Moreover, leaving mentioned condo complexes after the sunsets (6-7pm) in sure areas is a positive hearth approach of volunteering for a kidnapping or automotive hijack. For instance, in 2013 the extensively in style and upscale West Gate Mall in Nairobi was bombed as an act of terrorism by Somali militant teams. Since then, to enter a mall in Nairobi, you might be topic to an x-ray scan and steel detectors.
Alternatively in Sharjah, gated condo buildings are a uncommon sight and never a necessity. There could also be a small scale housebreaking however that’s the restrict and it occurs solely as soon as in a blue moon. Moreover, in regards to time considerations, in Sharjah you possibly can take a stroll down the Buhaira Corniche blindfolded after midnight and not using a care in the world. I can communicate for many residents once I say that I don’t really feel threatened at any time. After all, there may be at all times the off-chance you possibly can be in the improper place on the improper time even in Sharjah however that’s not one thing it’s worthwhile to be significantly conscious or involved of.
Secondly, the price of dwelling in Nairobi is far greater contemplating the hefty 30% tax, inflated hire for secure residences, and overpriced on a regular basis bills and items like electronics in comparability to the tax free haven of Sharjah. As an illustration, shopping for an entry-level iPhone 7 in Nairobi would set you again round 105 000 Shillings (approx. 1000USD), that’s 350 greater than the launch worth in the US (650USD). On this sense, the buying alternatives in Nairobi are considerably limiting. A whole lot of the residents, primarily expats, ship the needful to their properties from oversees. Because of this, I usually obtain a dozen or so orders a 12 months from relations in Kenya.
In distinction, the prices of dwelling in Sharjah are comparatively a lot decrease. Except for the shortage of presidency tax, there are sometimes worth ceilings positioned by authorities on hire, curiosity, and sure items and so forth. which stop overpricing. Utilizing the instance from above, the identical iPhone 7 would price 2600 Dirhams (approx. 700USD) in the UAE, which we are able to all agree is less expensive. As for buying alternatives, dwelling in Sharjah you’ll have entry to a worldwide market place with a a lot better number of manufacturers and from totally different components of the world at an inexpensive fee; the considered customized ordering items most likely won’t ever even cross your thoughts.
Thirdly, plenty of corruption exists in Nairobi, not solely amongst the higher echelon of the Kenyan authorities however with officers like law enforcement officials, ministers, and so forth. as effectively. The tax paid by residents shouldn’t be actually put to make use of in sustaining the roads or public amenities and as an alternative simply strains the pockets of the elite. To offer an instance, a few months in the past my uncle and I have been driving to the local people middle in Nairobi, when a scowling law enforcement officials signaled for us to tug over. The officer mentioned that my uncle had not activate the indicator gentle when taking the sooner round-a-bout and produced a ticket with a fantastic of 15000 shillings (approx. 150USD). After doing so, he held out his hand into the automotive, rubbed his fingers and easily mentioned however I might and that’s all it took for us to get the message that he wished some hush cash. Being in an excessive amount of of a rush to barter a money quantity or another type of deal with (like lunch), which is frequent routine in Nairobi, my uncle refused and took the fantastic ticket. Nevertheless, the bribery facet shouldn’t be at all times as unhealthy as all that since there could also be circumstances the place you would possibly end up in a troublesome spot and the road of integrity and ethics will begin to blur.
Contrastively in Sharjah, and the UAE by extension, corruption is nearly non-existent. On the premise of bribery, it’s regarded down upon and strictly prohibited by the Emirati officers. A 12 months or so in the past, there was a information report in the Khaleej Instances that a financial institution supervisor tried to cowl up an embezzlement that had occurred with one of many financial institutions clients by bribing the investigators. The supervisor was immediately arrested for merely implying a bribe. There are very strict legal guidelines towards bribery in the UAE and by simply being suggestive of it, you could be persecuted. The Emirati authorities and its officers are much more straight ahead and hassle free in comparability to the Kenyan counterpart, all of the extra so because you would not have to bribe to get some paperwork processed correctly!
And at last, the important thing companies supplied by the Kenyan and Emirati governments to its residents are poles totally different. To start with, allow us to take public healthcare. Public hospitals in Nairobi are run-down, poorly outfitted and hardly meet the sanitary/hygienic necessities of such a facility. There will not be sufficient beds so most sufferers sleep on mattresses and a few even on concrete. The medical gear and equipment are worn out and outdated, and there’s a recurring scarcity of certified medical doctors so amateurs with piecemeal information are known as in at occasions. One other facet is the general public transport; Nairobi doesn’t have a proper intra-city public transport system so the one various to the pricey taxis are privately run vans known as matatus. A experience in a matatu is most probably not going to be a pleasing expertise as they’re usually crammed over-capacity, irregular in time, velocity on harmful roads and generally the vans themselves will not be even street worthy with unfastened components and elements.
In distinction, the general public healthcare in Sharjah is prime of the road with well-maintained buildings, trendy know-how and gear, and ample extremely certified medical doctors. Discovering a job as a health care provider in the UAE may be very aggressive as the necessities are greater than in Kenya. Moreover, there’s a correct public transport system in Sharjah in the type of KGL buses that are regulated by the federal government, reasonably priced, comfy, spacious and punctual in time.
To conclude, dwelling in Nairobi and Sharjah are two significantly dissimilar experiences. Residing in any metropolis is a novel expertise of its personal whereby you might be uncovered to that nations tradition and lifestyle, and over time combine into the native society. Nairobi as a metropolis displays the phrase the land of the free, the place there will not be as many legal guidelines and restrictions, which in some circumstances generally is a good factor while in others not an excessive amount of so. On the opposite finish of the courtroom, Sharjah conflicts this viewpoint with a extra managed, subtle and orderly society.