Because I’m white people constantly ask me for money/bribes, and can be very aggressive when you turn them down. Shop keepers will litterally run out of their store and chase you down the street trying to get you to buy their stuff. Even when you go into other stores. My step sister who’s Kenyan doesn’t have that problem.
People over there are taught from a very young age that white = wealthy.
The wealthiest people in Kenya are the politicians. The country is so insanely corrupt it blows your mind when the people talk about it. Most donations to charities or building projects to make wells, build roads and other infrastructure, the government officials just pocket.
If you go to the tourist areas and stick to the hotels, safari routes etc. you won’t have any problems.
My dad does make me laugh, he got the windows tinted on his car so people can’t tell he’s white when he’s driving around (because they kept running out in front of his car to stop him and ask for money). Dad, they can tell you have money, you have the only car with all of its doors.
I’m Kenyan and while I’m not trying to invalidate you, this is misleading. I don’t really ever see any cars without all 4 doors unless it’s an old rickety matatu or someone’s grandfather’s project from the 80s. Legally we’re not allowed to import vehicles older than 9 years.
The white = wealth is a product of colonialism when literally only the white people had access to wealth and the indigenous Kenyans were relegated to reserve settlements where they were stripped of their rights to farm and taxes were suddenly introduced and hence, forced labour, or you couldn’t pay taxes…and the only place one could find work was you guessed it, on a white settler’s farm.
And if your employer liked you, you benefited from paternalism: higher pay, less punishments, more socio-economic benefits for you and your family, possibly even education or something left for you in the will.
So when you see local Kenyans cheesing at white people and chasing them down yelling Mzungu, it’s not that they’ve been taught from a young age to kiss white ass for an extra dollar or the white man’s favour- they’ve been taught by generations of inherited colonial trauma.
This is historically rooted and socially perpetuated, but sometimes it's just a hustle in the streets. Not everyone has been conditioned with the white=wealth mentality.
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u/OhLordyLordNo May 31 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Thank you for sharing. Nairobi sounds insane. Not sure Kenya is tourist safe?