Inherent Kenyan Traits

pingli-nywee

JF-Expert Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Posts
11,923
Reaction score
13,350
What would you say are the unique traits, socio-cultural or otherwise, that are deeply ingrained in each Kenyan? Which would without fail enable you to indentify your fellow countrymen? Well, for me the list is inexhaustible but a few always stand out, every time I wear my professional people-watcher's cap(sic).

Apart from the signature, 'otherwise?', after the usual long winded greetings are over. I am always utterly baffled and stupefied by why Kenyans point at objects, with their lower lips. Even when all their other appendages are intact and free! I didn't even know it was a thing until someone pointed it out, while I was in the company of my fellow countrymen, in a foreign land.

Pass me the sauce, pass me that 'nini' and who is that? All the pointing done confidently with the lower lip. Who does that? Methinks maybe birds from the duck family. My all time favourite is;

NB: No insults and no trolling please.
 
After traveling to a few places on God's green Earth I know certain things for sure about us

Kenyans are soft spoken but don't mistake that as "easy". We are hard headed as it gets.

"We are Kenyans forged in the hardships that is the Kenyan society. If you have survived in Kenya you can survive anywhere" this mindset is our biggest asset and yet our undoing. Sometimes we're too clever and determined for our own good. Personally I can vouch that a determined Kenyan is a force of nature whether for good or otherwise.

"Unaogopa nini wewe ni mkenya" is the most powerful thing you can say to a Kenyan

We hate our politics but we love our tribal politics the biggest oxymoron in the world
 
I've been in several meetings in foreign land, where I was able to identify Kenyans among the participants by just observing the way they contributed..... so daring, outspoken, eloquent, candid and our diversity in various accents.

And in clubs, how they make their orders, how they fill their tables with beers and how they dance, laugh and talk...... was always so easy for me to introduce myself and blast ourselves for the rest of the night.
 
For me it is the way we Kenyans make fun of every situation.

 
 
Yep, Kenyan know how to party and their confidence and outspoken nature is not limited to formal settings. Spoting them is no rocket science though, every sentence usually begins with 'Me I am...' [emoji1]
 
In my mother tongue it is said that "The one who only eats his mother's food thinks his mother is the best cook"
Ordinary Kenyans generally have a shitty life, except the very few who live in the leafy suburbs..but even those have to endure horrible matatu nonesence on the roads plus traffic.
Perhaps the most sickening is everything has a tribal undertone to it. Even some jobs are considered "jaluo" or kamba jobs. Some people will never take their cars to a Kikuyu Garage..Some landlords will say no to jaluo tenants.
The worst ofcourse is sycophancy to politicians instead of loyalty to a party's ideolody ..Just makes Kenyans look like a bunch of toilet flies during elections, they follow their shitty politicians who later on shaft them hard.
Hehehe if you overhear "small talk" in bars and wherever like twitter...it all about how Kenyans are being shafted, or how we are now going to stick with the next shitty politician come 2022.
Complete lack of modus loci, Self inflicted wounds.
Kenyans should visit other societies / Countries and see for themselves coherent fully integrated communities working with a common purpose to pursue their common destiny and their individual wealth and happiness.
 
pingli-nywee said:
Yep, Kenyan know how to party and their confidence and outspoken nature is not limited to formal settings. Spoting them is no rocket science though, every sentence usually begins with 'Me I am...' [emoji1]
Click to expand...

But they can be so ruthless, I remember in one meeting where I represented a certain company in an engagement against another with competing interests. When we begun introducing ourselves, I suddenly learnt of a Kenyan representing the other company, and immediately I became alert like crazy, I consulted with my team to provide me with every damn fact, data and anything else helpful they could have left behind, for I knew we were headed for a tumultuous hurricane, you don't face up with a Kenyan and expect business as usual.

Man....did we have ball, nothing was left to chance, facts flew about, everything was debated thoroughly, arguments were countered so brilliantly.....eventually we had coffee together and talked about our home country as if nothing happened.....yeah nothing personal, we were just doing our job and representing our competing companies so well.

Our competing hosts were left speechless.... One even confided that he can't put up with such engagement without getting emotional and throwing caution out through the window
 
The soft spoken bit might be generally an East African thing. I once met a group of our West African brothers, while attending an international conference in Quebec and although they were not entirely rude, I couldn't stand how loud they were.
 
Another thing I like about Kenyans is the entrepreneurial spirit. Unlike majority of africans, Kenyans know they have to start a "Kasmall biashara" even if the guy is a manager. He/she will almost always have a side hustle.
Kenyans are always looking for ways and means of making that extra buck and what I have noticed is that unlike majority of africans, Kenyans generally don't like regulations in business. That is why we find all ways and means to pay as little as possible to GOK or county governments.

"Ati, lazima nikate premises license kutoka kwa county? Mimi ni nani, probox yangu mbiyo mbiyo inakuwa duka", Kanjo wakitokea ni mbio.

One of my neighbors converted his V8 into a wholesale outlet during last election at the polling station. He literally moved his wholesalers outlet into his car and sold over 10 crates of soda and snacks that day. His wife brought githeri, ugali matumbo, chips etc also.

Anybody who does this is purely Kenyan.
 
Then it is only Kenyans who give their businesses in foreign countries funny Kenyan names.

I remember once seeing a pub called "Karomaindu" opposite the Frankfurt main train station and also a truck branded "Jokim movers" in copenhagen.

I did not even need to ask, i knew the owners are Kenyans.
 
[emoji1][emoji1][emoji1] Thats Kenyan business names for you, very weird. Josephine and Kimani becomes Jokim Enterprises. John and Joan, JoJo Cafe and Mbugua and Kinyanjui becomes Mbukinya Travellers. 😀
 
pingli-nywee said:
[emoji1][emoji1][emoji1] Thats Kenyan business names for you, very weird. Josephine and Kimani becomes Jokim Enterprises. John and Joan, JoJo Cafe and Mbugua and Kinyanjui becomes Mbukinya Travellers. 😀
Click to expand...
A friend called Norman started a hardware business in ruai with his brother called Charles, it goes without saying the business is called "Norcha hardware".
 
pingli-nywee said:
[emoji1][emoji1][emoji1] Thats Kenyan business names for you, very weird. Josephine and Kimani becomes Jokim Enterprises. John and Joan, JoJo Cafe and Mbugua and Kinyanjui becomes Mbukinya Travellers. 😀
Click to expand...
Other names are those biblical names "ebenezer suppliers", "by grace cereals", "Marurume realtors","Batimayo bookshop" and "Jireh Butchery".

One thing i have noticed too it is like every market centre in the country has a shop called "Duka moja".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…