Unconventional Tour: Exploring Kibera Slum
- Justine
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
When I visit a country, I like to see how real people live. Staying in fancy hotels won’t give you a true feel of the country—most of the time, you’ll be surrounded by other tourists and eating North American food, which is the opposite of what I want to do when I travel.
While in Kenya, I wanted to visit Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa. Of course, when doing this, you have to be very careful. As a foreigner, you stand out and can potentially become a target for unwanted attention. To ensure a safe and meaningful experience, I reached out to a company that organizes guided tours in Kibera - Kibera Tour.
A Safe and Insightful Tour
With Kibera Tours, all the guides are locals who grew up in Kibera, so they know the area well and are recognized in the community, making it safer to explore with them. Our group consisted of five visitors and three guides, which made us feel well-protected and comfortable throughout the experience.
The tour was well-organized and structured around visiting local businesses and community initiatives that operate within Kibera.
Visiting Local Artisans and Businesses
Our first stop was a shop run by women affected by HIV, who work as tailors and jewelry designers. They create clothing and beaded jewelry made from recycled paper, a beautiful example of sustainable craftsmanship.
One of the most fascinating stops was a jewelry workshop that trains young people in the art of jewelry making. The unique part? Their jewelry is made from meat bones. This idea stemmed from a local issue—butchers used to discard bones on the streets, leading to a severe fly infestation. The community turned this problem into an opportunity by collecting, cleaning, and treating the bones to craft beautiful handmade jewelry. This initiative has created jobs and contributed to the local economy.
However, now that butchers have realized the value of bones, they have started selling them to the jewelry shop instead of discarding them for free. Still, if you visit Kenya, I highly recommend supporting this initiative by buying their jewelry.
The Reality of Daily Life in Kibera
We also visited water and sanitation stations. Unfortunately, Kibera residents don’t have access to clean water at home, so they must visit designated stations to collect water and carry it back home. They have to pay for the water too. There are also bio centers that provide access to shower and toilet facilities, but again, these are not free. The most shocking part? These essential stations were not built by the Kenyan government, but by foreign actors. The one I visited was actually founded by former French Secretary of State for the Francophonie: Alain Joyandet. This was very surprising to me because Kenya isn’t even a French-speaking country—random, but good for France and Kibera!
I would love to know how that deal came about.
A Heartwarming Visit to a Local School
The highlight of my tour was visiting a local school built by Kibera Tours. The school is funded by donations from visitors, so tourists can see exactly how their contributions are making a difference in the community.
I was shocked to learn about Kenya’s education system. The children in the school were incredibly advanced—at just four years old, they already knew multiplication tables! I didn’t learn that until much later in my school life. Education seems to be accelerated because junior high school in Kenya (collège en France), is not free. Many families struggle to afford it. Even though tuition is adjusted based on neighborhoods and income, it’s still out of reach for some, which is heartbreaking.
The children at the school were adorable. They sang songs for us, full of enthusiasm and joy. Their sweet faces and bright smiles will stay with me forever.
Final Thoughts
If you want to experience the real Nairobi beyond the tourist spots, a guided tour of Kibera is an eye-opening and meaningful experience. It allows you to support local businesses, learn about the community’s resilience, and gain a deeper understanding of life in one of Africa’s largest slums. Would you ever consider taking an unconventional tour like this? Let me know in the comments!
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