Disparity

A leisurely walk on a Sunday afternoon through Matikere painted yet another shade of this vibrant city.

Dusty unpaved roads, littered with cow dung and trash. Low concrete walls of contrasting colours, wooden doors that peeped into small dark spaces. Pots cooking over makeshift fire stoves, burnt smell of wood filled the air. Little children play on the streets, barefooted, pushing a used car tyre around with a stick. The older ones, slightly over seven years old, washed, cooked or worked. The folks gave puzzled and curious looks at this stranger walking through the lanes of their neighbourhood.

Families, some as big as 7, lived behind those wooden doors. In their little enclosure, a tiny 4-walled space no bigger than the bathrooms belonging to some of the houses in the neighbouring estate, they carry out their daily activities.

On the other side of the road, it’s a totally different picture. Big multi-storey houses, marble floors and roof terraces. Solar panels, UPS and wireless internet connection. Security guards on sentry outside the house 24 hours, personal drivers and maids, and whose folks fly first class.

Distinct is the disparity between the rich and poor.