Re: Area Buru-Buru

Hey my name is Jessica, I will stay in the area Buru-Buru nairobi.
Does anybody know something about this part of the town????
Regards
Jessi

Hey Jessi,
This is Celeste from Nairobi
Buru as we call it is middle class part of Nairobi. Not bad transport is available all through the night. It is heavily populated, good road network. About 20 minutes drive to the city center if traffic free that might happen only on sundays though. If you are working around the same place then you will be lucky because it has all the possible amenities one may need. It is the capital of East-lands a division of Nairobi.
Do not worry you will definitely enjoy your stay.

Let me break it down for ya........

Buruburu is a large middle-class residential area in the Eastlands part of Nairobi, situated in Makadara Division. Buruburu Estate comprises five phases, one being the oldest, with the fifth completed in 1982. Most of the houses resemble modern architecture of white buildings with striking orange tiled roof tops, all built in a town-house orientation. Buruburu gave rise to the modern day sheng, a language spoken by virtually all of Nairobi's youth. Buruburu maintains its original flavor, but more recent developments include expansion of its shopping center.

This mixed-income African area due east of the city center has expanded in recent decades. At its heart lies Buru Buru, built as a middle-income estate in the 1970s and 1980s and inhabited by Kenyan business people and professionals and a few expatriates on short-term assignments; accommodation is mainly in small, two-storey townhouses in quiet cul-de-sacs.

There is a wide range of shops and amenities along Mumias South Road, the area’s central artery; facilities include a petrol station, supermarkets, a foreign exchange bureau and a chemist, as well as a private swimming pool and several pubs and bars. Barclay's Bank, one of the main banks operating in Kenya, is also present here.

The area is safe and there is a police post right in the middle of the shopping center. Companies and organizations have permanent offices within this area so its quite busy especially during the weekdays. The one thing I love about this area is convenience, even from the city center I never have worry what time to get home because there is always availability of public transport (That's Matatus) and especially at only one designated area so weather am tired, drunk or just late, I always know where to go and pick my transport.

The population within this area is great too. Most families have lived here for years and you will at all times meet young boys and girls from school and others from college or universities. There is also a flea market just close by the shopping center called "Mutindwa". Here you get to purchase clothes, shoes, accessories and all manner of stuff cheaply (Although I do not know if there are cheap), anyway, that's the other issue, availability of stuff. Also you can use this route to connect to another direction out of buruburu so convenient.

The place is great and am sure you will have an awesome time. Pass by "JIMLIZER HOTEL" and have a beer - you will love it!.

Cheers,

Kenny Kimoli

Hi Kenny-this is a great post about Buruburu. I have a pretty basic question: Are there any whites living there and if so are they accepted or simply tolerated. The reason I am asking is that I have a offer to rent a house there for 4000ks which is considerably less expensive than Westlands. Since I am white I want to feel comfortable in my own skin. Much thanks-snowcap:-)

Hi Snowcap,

Njoki is actually right, getting a house for 4k is a bit not realistic, so I doubt if you can get a place for that price (as per normal standards) unless you want to stay in a really filthy place, I would recommend you to re-budget yourself for a higher rate of consideration.

Apart from that I do not think your color would be alarming to the communities within this area. There are different local organizations that deploy their European clients, students and volunteers in home-stays, hostels and even hotels in buru-buru so chances are high that you will meet fellow travelers that live within this area.

As far as security is concerned that should not be a big issue since there are different police posts that offer you the best service, and you can be guaranteed that you wont be bothered or hassled by anyone. Buru buru is not that bad if you want middle class kind of living. Try it out, you may just like it!.....but take heed on the rentals, the cheapest good house you can get into would cost you around 10k and cheapest ofcoz would be 4k but with zero standards.

Kenny

Hi Jesse,
Did you get into Kenya already?
First up; 4k (50USD) in kenya, even for a local, and then in Buruburu is certainly a con game unless you are to live with a family and you have a bedroom to yourself, but are to share the kitchen, bathroom, etc. Alternatively, that would be realistic if it was a per day rate which would then translate to (120000) 1500 USD. You can get way way way better accommodation for half that price in Westlands, where you are likely to be more 'comfortable in your skin' as you say it.
Secondly, you will typically find that Kenyans, wherever you go will stare. That is not an indication of anything - staring is not culturally unnacceptable here as it is in the West. People really do not stare because they think you are strange or anything negative; they just stare. If I dyed my hair blonde, they would stare too.
We (Kenyans) are for the very large part very accommodating to the 'white skin' and not in any way in a tolerating sense, and I would encourage you to walk around, mind your own business in much the same way as you would back home. It is rare to find people in Kenya who 'tolerate' the white man. We really have no overflowing beef with anyone white unless you meet the occassional mad-man who would then be as mad as any other mad man anywhere.
That said, live in Kenya just as you would in any urban town anywhere in the world. Utilise the same general codes of common sense safety and you will be fine in Nairobi.
Third, we have very stringent laws on crime against a foreigner here and most criminals are aware of them. Unless they sneak on you and pick-pocket, or take something you left carelessley some place, no criminal will knowingly touch a foreigner. I do home-stay myself and I know that even our own are not as protected by the law as a foregner here is.
If you need further assistance including deciphering what's true and where you are being taken for a ride, you are welcome to get in touch with me.
Nyambura

Looking for honest guidance to help you settle in Nairobi or in Kenya generally? I am a sincere and friendly woman who will give you best information on all-things-settling-or-visiting-in-Kenya. Send me a private message with your question and I will get back to you.

Hi Jesse-I just found your post on Buruburu-thanks for the great info.-sorry I didn't get back to you but I hardly ever check into this forum because of travel. My friend, a white man, did find a house in Buruburu. He teaches at a small bible college in Kayole so it's convenient and what he can afford. I actually visited him last year and stayed for a month. His house is near a nice big shopping center on a quite street and very comfortable. However, he may be moving because the landlord keeps raising his rent because he thinks he's a rich American. Of course that's ridiculous as he volunteers and lives on his retirement income. Anyway, this is why I'm writing-Since he told me about the rent hike started at 20000 then went to 25000ksh and now to 30000ksh, I've been doing a little online research on other rentals in Buruburu similar to what he is renting now and they are much less. My question is? Do you know of any 2 or 3br, single story houses in Buruburu for rent for 20-25000? :-)

I was born and brought up in buruburu, its nice and for the middle class kenyan, all amenities at walking distances and i love the way its been described earlier, its just but the perfect analysis. Being white and new in the country it just may not be the right place for you, you may want to explore other options, rent of ksh 4000 sounds wanting and questionable and you just may want to be careful. with all due respect.

Regards.

Hello. I'm Michael and I reside in an estate near Buru-Buru and it is a good estate. It is among the best in Nairobi.

I am considering moving to Buruburu myself I am a Black bloke born in England just got made redundant and I wanted to spend some time in East Africa. I have read the Kenyan immigration service will give you a residence permit if you can prove you have an assured income. I'll be doing some computer work for a mate back in the UK on my laptop so I am hoping this will qualify me for a permit my severance package is good.

If I'm careful I could do about 10 years in Kenya if I'm not so careful maybe five I am bit worried about the staring thing, were I come from its seen as very hostile. I got dreadlocks so I hope I won't encounter any prejudice I am not a real rastafarian I don't smoke at all or drink and its just a fashion for me last year I went for the 'John shaft' Afro look. I am not going to get any grief from ex-pats am I? I don't mean anything physical just about a crappy attitude at seeing a Western born Black none Kenyan.

I wanted to ship my Toyota Yaris over, but unfortunately the Mombassa ports changed the rules and my car is now too old. Even though its in good knick UK MOTs are extra ordinarily strict especially on emisssions from your exhaust, really interesting suggestions keep them flowing.

My man Mr Hamilton didn't win the Barcelona Formula 1 Gran Prix last weekend gutted!

So you would like to travel over and settle? well, that sounds like an adventure for you. Do you have any friends that can help you get settled? do you know that there are many things that you need to learn adopt and practice so if you need more advice, let me know and I shall connect you with the right friends who wont take advantage or mis-guide you about living in Kenya.

Kenya is a great place to settle when you know your way around.

Cheers!

Greetings topeafrica,

Thanks for the brief information its really appreciated I will be in touch; regarding the many things I will need to know? 'He askes with one eyebrow raised' I am hoping you don't mean I will have to adopt orthodox stance, do some bobbing and weaving before legging it! I want to enjoy the Kenyan sun and culture, keep my head down, for a few years.

hahaha.....no dubious stuff man, and definately no bobbing...that you can be sure about. Its more to the laid back attitude and values that all Kenyans always stick with.

My goodness Kenyan Coppers are hard core aren’t they! I watched a shootout on YouTube in Buruburu estate they don’t appear to be into talking. They filled the gangster full of bullets, some Police forces would question the professionalism, but these days I guess no one can point the finger especially here in the UK.

I’m off point. What will 6000 to 12060 per month get me? As long as it has an inside toilet and shower ‘Warm shower I’m not going to be too demanding’ I am a happy man. I’ve been trying without success to get information on how long it takes Mombasa ports to clear your vehicle can anybody help? That’s the only big thing I’m bringing because I reckon stuff like a cooker and fridge I can get in Nairobi.

Clearing your vehicle at the port is a piece of cake mate.....I have some friends around there that are reliable and can help you out. And as earlier stated, just let me know and I will contact the fellas who will be able to advice you on how to go on about geting your automobile on the Kenyan route.

When you mention 6,000...are you talking about Kenya shillings or pounds , what exactly? if you mind clarifying, that would be fantastic!

Are you on facebook or any IM that we can talk more there?

Cheers!

Salutations topeafrica,

I mean't Kenyan shillings not GBP I'm not after living in Westalnds! Its not recommended to cook and blogg at the same time it tends to attract food bits on your computer, and you don't clarify your points properly.

Lol… This is so genuine, and it’s also very funny in some areas.

First, a very warm welcome to Kenya, people here are generally nice – friendly, helpful, genuinely loving, and human.

My name is Nyambura, and I am Kenyan. I’ve done some home-stay and have a basic knowledge on helping travelers find their way around Kenya with least hassle. You are welcome to contact me privately and I will answer any further questions you will have.

That said, let’s try and do some real answers.

“I am considering moving to Buruburu myself I am a Black bloke born in England… I got dreadlocks so I hope I won't encounter any prejudice I am not a real rastafarian I don't smoke at all or drink and its just a fashion for me last year I went for the 'John shaft' Afro look. I am not going to get any grief from ex-pats am I?”
You are black and have dreadlocks. Being ‘black’ means Kenyans seeing you here will generally ASSUME you are Kenya. Dreadlocks will have majority ASSUME you are Rasta. Those two things will either put you in some very uncomfortable situations, or get you in some very entertaining situations.

What I will emphasize is the ASSUMPTIONS; you will not get a lot of the flack that a ‘white’ person will get. So asking for directions for instance will be interesting, for instance. Please learn how to say ‘I am not Kenyan, and I only understand English’ in Kiswahili as on opening line if you ever need to ask for directions. If they ask, tell them you’re Jamaican with a Jamaican accent and enjoy the moment! Oh! This will get you some real fun I tell you. Lol…

Ex-pats? Now where will you truly meet those in buruburu? No likely except at functions and there everyone is generally polite. :-)

My honest and more serious counsel is to stay away from alleys and dark streets at night because you will definitely get busted by coppers who will assume you are black, Kenyan, Rastafarian, and drug pusher. Not good!

A word about Kenyan coppers and the shooting thing: the international media will often highlight what they do not understand because it looks like news. From here I can tell you that Kenyan coppers do not generally open fire. They carry AK47 for goodness sake! (Yeah, that will be one of your culture shocks). By the time they cork the damn thing everyone will have fled, lol... The clip you saw are likely our version of secret police, and they most often know exactly what they are up against. Peace loving civilians are not on their radar. Ignore media drama!

“the Kenyan immigration service will give you a residence permit if you can prove you have an assured income”
I don’t know too much on resident permits here, but I can find out from my British friends and let you know. If you'd like me to, just let me know.

“I am bit worried about the staring thing, were I come from its seen as very hostile.”
Staring is mainly reserved for ‘whites’. In your case, people may glance at you because of the dreadlocks and continue to mind their own business. You will notice many rastas here wear a cape during the day. You will get used to it really, it’s a very blank and harmless long look.

“I don't mean anything physical just about a crappy attitude at seeing a Western born Black none Kenyan.”
Because of the assumption that you’re black, the only people who will know are the ones who you will hang out with directly, and those will be good with wherever you come from. Kenyans are truly very welcoming.

"What will 6000 to 12060 per month get me? As long as it has an inside toilet and shower ‘Warm shower I’m not going to be too demanding’ I am a happy man."
You most definitely can get a decent house with own bathroom and a shower with anything between KES 10,000 to KES 12,000 in Buruburu – KES 6,000 to KES 9,000, may not guarantee the ‘hot’ shower. In the better part of Buruburu, even if you do not get the ‘hot shower’ already installed, it is easy to install what we call an ‘instant hot water shower’. That will cost you about KES 2,500 (about 20 or less GBP).

6000 GBP will get you a 4bedroom house fully furnished, next to the President's residence for 4 months! Lol... Get back to me if you need help securing a Buruburu house before you land.

“I’ve been trying without success to get information on how long it takes Mombasa ports to clear your vehicle can anybody help?” That’s the only big thing I’m bringing because I reckon stuff like a cooker and fridge I can get in Nairobi.”
I honestly have no idea whey you want to bring a car here either. Contact me on inbox if you need to crunch numbers some more on this one. Bringing one here might just be as costly or costlier as buying a perfect Japanese import here. Please contact me.

I’ll can also hook you up with some British friends who’ve chartered between both countries through FB if you’re interested.

When do you plan to come?

The other thing I forgot to add about dreadlocks; in Kenya, most of the men sporting dreadlocks are likely to be Rastafarian. For the women it’s hardly ever for religious reasons, it’s mostly a hairstyle. It seems the genre of Rasta that is here does not require their women to wear locks. But anyway, once you are here couple of months, you will be able to differentiate the dreadlocks worn for religious reasons and the hairstyle ones.

Anyway, feel free to ask any questions you need to, I will be happy to answer, and where I do not know, an answer is often just a phone call away.

topeafrica alright mate!,

Naaaww I'm not on face book its crawling with coppers and spooks; I don't get the time I'm, really busy researching countries I fancy moving too for a while, I had a look at Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, Senegal, Brazil, Venezuala, Gambia, Ghana, Cameroon, Rwanda and Barcelona.

I haven't fully made up my mind yet However, Kenya is in strong contention for a shot because of the lack of red tape also RHD is in yupee! All they care about is can you afford to live in Kenya without bringing a begging bole to the Government. A policy allot of EU countries follow which is not too bad I've scrubbed Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda they all want you to have £60,000.00 or $100,000.00 cash you have to be selling God in some capacity to escape that payment. Mr R Dawkins author of the 'God Delusion' take note!

Or be doing some sort of NGO work they want you to have serious money and there is no way I'm bringing that kind of money out of the UK not chance! I'm going to be allot more modest than that.

Hmmm… Hello again Taharka,

This got me reading, and you can read some more on permits and imports of personal belongings from this site:
[www.investmentkenya.com]

“Work Contract” you may need to find out from your end what our government means in your terms by ‘work contract’. That will solve your ‘work permit’ issue. It most probably means some paper-work of some sort.

“Cleared through Customs”, “duty” and “Kenyan tax Laws” are terms that can shoot your vehicle costs through the roof. Most expatriates come here covered by organizations and bring in their vehicles duty free. Your mentioned ‘work situation’ my not give you that. Anyway, I will ask at government offices on a working day and post my findings here. That should help I think. In my view, “piece of cake”, “Kenyan Customs” and “Cars” do not sound like words I would put together in one sentence, but I could be wrong.

Quote: Residence permit
For a stay in Kenya exceeding 6 months, one must obtain a residence permit that can be delivered during the first stay, valid for one year. It must be renewed each time the “work contract is renewed”. The permit renewal can be valid for five years , each time.

Personal belongings and passenger car
Any foreign person residing in Kenya because of business can import his personal belongings, his house furniture and a passenger car for personal use. When cleared through customs, these personal belongings, house furniture and passenger car can be duty free or liable to rights and duties by means of phased payments. They may not be transferred neither in return for payment, nor free-of-charge before they are sorted out with the Customs Authority and a foreign trade license is provided, if the case arises. The Kenyan tax law adapts advantages and procedures according to the beneficiary's status.

Aha!, okay Taharka,

Now, with 12,000Kshs per month you can get a one bedroomed apartment around buru buru somewhere in some flats, it wont be in good condition thou, like you may get that it has no hot shower, the lavatory is not English standard and its tiny in size....not comfortable man. BUT if you can afford 16,000 Kshs to 18,000Kshs, you can get some pretty slick one or two bedroomed apartment. One that has been made in accuracy and precision and thats what you need!.

With this kind of apartment you will basically need to do the following: Have with you three kinds of money, the down payment deposit of the house (16,000Kshs - refundable upon tenancy termination), the real rental (16,000Kshs), deposit for water and electricity (5,000Kshs - refundable upon tenancy termination)

After that, you now have an empty house, no curtains, no bed, no electrical appliances, so you will need to purchase everything from electric bulbs, bed, seats, you know, everything else to make the empty rooms hospitable.

The car issue, we need to talk privately about it.....thugs or anyone might be reading this coz its an open forum...lol. Throw me your email man!

Paul

An topic nice... Thank all you for share.

Had a look at some media on Buru Buru all negative couldn't find a single positive video if they are trying to scare the crap out of people. In allot of cases it will work it would be nice to watch a video involving Buru Buru were no one is getting shot. Its not put me off though, I'll just bring some body armour and maybe a gum sheild hee hee hee! I think Buru Buru looks dappo. (Very good).

I'm sure you also know what gets to the media. Not some calm church wedding, but the one where the bride bursts into tears and is hijacked/rescued at gunpoint by an ex-lover. Lol...

Yeah, there is drama in Buru Buru, as in all (most) urban areas. Mainly because it borders the home of criminal gang-rearing neighborhoods. The rules of safety apply as they do in any other middle-class neighborhood. There is a fair share of the good, the bad, and the ugly in Buru (as the locals call it), but not all bad. It certainly is not the worst that we have.

Hey T, Did you get what you were looking for?

topeafrica Alright mate!

I am not sure if I am even going to be able to stay in Kenya beyond a visa of 90 days had a look at the Kenya immigration section at the very large classes of residence permit. It appears that I may only fit into one catagory of person who can stay in Kenya for an extended length of time, here is the catagory of residence permit I might fit into below the next sentence. I am not a big business man with over $100,000.00 nor an Evangelist preaching fire and brimstone if you don't repent and pronto and since you are without sin topafrica I am sure this doesn't apply to you lol.

Class K residence permit

A person who- is not less than 21 years of age; and has his own right and at his full and free disposition an assured annual income of not less than the prescribed amount being an income that is assured. and that is derived from sources other than any such employment, occupation, trade, business or profession as is referred to in the description of any of the classes specified in this Schedule, and being an income that either-

is derived from sources outside. and will be remitted to Kenya; or

What is the prescribed amount?

lol. definitely does not apply to me. Either way, I have seen folk manage this visa issue pretty easily, and end up with residence permits so depending on your sources, you might end up spending loads of money or on the other side, spend very minimal for a longer stay in Kenya. I believe this visa issue is sporadic within all countries, just knowing how you maneuver is what that matters!

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