The ever-busy Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) hosts Kenyans from all walks of life; from buyers, sellers to fatal criminal gangs, carjackers, cons and kidnapers.
These individuals have one thing in common; looking for a way to survive tough economic times.
Nairobians should, therefore, be more vigilant as they go about businesses in the city. Below are some of the simple ways to survive in the city;
1.) Be vigilant when in Public Service Vehicles
It has become very common for thugs to time unsuspecting passengers in Public Service Vehicles and snatch valuables from them, especially mobile phones.
This mostly happens when there is a traffic snarl-up and the suspected robbers hurriedly open the car window and make away with passengers valuables.
It happens so fast that even if the driver were to halt the vehicle, you would not get a hold of the thief, having melted away in the crowd.
Some of the notorious streets where such activities take place include; Tom Mboya street, Latema road, Haile Selassie, Murang'a road, among others.
2.) Avoid crowded streets.
Criminals masquerade as busy Nairobians on crowded streets and pounce on their targets whenever they get the chance.
The elements will mostly be found along bus streets and bus stations and use tricks to con you off your hard-earned money.
"They dropped an envelope with a Ksh50 note in it. I could only see the zero so I thought it was full of Ksh1000 notes, the man told me I should open it inside a supermarket, but would hold on to my phone until I returned to share and that is how I never saw my phone again," Michael Ronny stated.
In addition, ladies have also raised concerns of thugs using razor blades to cut off their handbags and make away with their belongings on such streets.
3.) Do not allow people to pray for you in the streets.
Conmen and scammers have devised numerous ways to reap where they did not sow.
While not all preachers and pastors are conmen, some in the Nairobi CBD have proven that they cannot be trusted.
How this works is; A fake preacher requests to pray for you, asks you to present all the money that you have so that it can be doubled. Being skeptical at first, you will present a small amount of money and the cash will be doubled.
You will then be tempted to present the rest of the money so that it can also be doubled but the preacher will resist saying that you lied to the spirit. You will beg some more and they will give in at last, only that when they pray for the money it will not double.
"Immediately after we had finished praying, the preacher gave me a small bag which was well covered with a note. However, when I decided to check after they had left, the scammers had stuffed the bag with newspapers," Adongo told Kenyans.co.ke.
4.) When you purchase any item, make sure it is packaged in your presence.
Numerous videos of shop attendants switching goods after customers already paid for them have previously gone viral.
Here, a customer bargains for a certain good but ends up getting something totally different when they arrive home. In addition, Nairobians are also warned against purchasing items at night.
"I bought myself a pair of black shoes but noticed that it was faded when I got home," a netizen commented on social media.
5.) Be Wary of Fake job advertisements
While some jobs posted on the CBD's notice boards may be authentic, some may be targeting to defraud unsuspecting Nairobians.
Early 2020, Detectives from the DCI announced that they had reined in on two suspects who were in the process of duping Kenyans through fake advertisements.
"Two fraud suspects found conducting interviews on non-existing jobs at Interfina Building at the intersection between Ronald Ngala and Tom Mboya Streets in Nairobi, were today arrested by detectives based in Kamukunji and several materials being used in the gyp confiscated," the DCI announced.
Such a group is an example of fake job rackets who operate in the CBD.
6.) Shun speaking to strangers
This is probably something that you learnt while growing up. It is important, however, to emphasize this point as it will help you keep out of trouble in Nairobi streets.
Scammers realise that the elderly in the society are to be trusted, hence, they collide with some of them to steal from unsuspecting Nairobians.
Stories have been told of how old women approach you and beg to use your phone, only for them to turn against you and say that you have stolen their phones.
