Workshops and Projects » Mobility in Nairobi 2009 » Jobs on the go: Mobile Workplaces in Nairobi

Pedestrians are passing by illegal hawkers at night, close to the Globe Cinema Roundabout. Their stands are build up in a way so they can easily grab their stuff and run away, should the police appear. Many people seem interested in their goods, they have to deal with several customers at once, each. The ones seen here sell clothes like trousers and jackets. This situation was after 10 pm, but anyway it was... more

A shoeshiner took a seat on a few stones, located on a muddy place right between a big street and two bus stations. He has numerous brushes and shoe creams with himself and spread around him and even bags with more ‘tools’, probably cloth to polish the shoes with. He is serving a customer, while another is already waiting in line, other people rush by without interest. Shoeshiners can be seen all over... more

A man sitting in a wheelchair, which has a little foldable table attached, on which he has placed the goods he sells: Sweets. It is very early in the morning and still dark, but the city has woken up a good while ago, pedestrians pass him regularly already and cars are driving by. He chose a location behind a fence, so there is a barrier between him and the cars. Bags are hanging at his wheelchair, they... more

These waste collectors were seen in the central business district, hanging on the waste truck in a manner that was anything but secure. They basically sat in the waste they had collected. It is unknown what kind of waste it was, if from bins or the side of the road or how far it traveled. But it was one of the most official seeming mobile workplaces seen. The uniforms they wore give a hint that this waste... more

This woman was sitting on a parking bench, not far from a roundabout, very close to the university. It was a busy street, especially as she picked a place to offer her snack which lied between the busy roundabout (with the inner central business distric on the other side) and an illegal matatau stop. The vivid colors she wore made her visible from far away. She was not allowed to sell anything there, but... more

A man selling ice cream has parked his mobile box on the side walk and waits for customers. His box is open, even if there is no customer and he seems not to do something with it at the moment as well. People are passing by, very much ignoring him and his offerings. He is wearing a white, long jacket, like sometimes seens in the professional food industry. It’s unknown if this is because he belongs to a... more

This knife sharpener was seen in a district farther out of the city, doing his job in front of one of the many butcheries that also offer meals and thus function as restaurants as well. The bike next to him was his traveling device, unfortunatly it's unknown how he exactly transported his knife sharpening machine with it, if he did so at all. more

Half past six in the morning, this bus station is bursting with life. It seems to be highly chaotic, the busses of various sizes do not show a visible pattern the way they are standing there. Many couldn’t move unless some other bus was gone first. People are crowding the place like ants, either directing towards a bus or towards the market located behind the busstation. There are terminals, but way more... more

A man is selling inflatable, colourful children seats between cars stuck in a traffic jam. Two seats are blown up, he has to hold one up high to navigate between the cars. The sky is grey, promising more rain. He is not the only one selling goods here, a little behind him another man can be seen, selling something else. Whenever there is rain in Nairobi, the traffic situation gets even worse than it is. So... more

This woman was sitting on the side of a 'street' in kibera, selling the chapati she made there on the spot, rolled in used office paper. The street in this slum was barely broad enough for a car to pass, but it didn't matter, as there were no cars anyway. Just pedestrians walking past her on the unpaved and littered way. The little stand she uses consisted of a small chair and a little table, as well as a... more