Beneath Nairobi’s towering bridges, a hidden city thrives—one where daily survival collides with rising lawlessness.
Spaces originally built to connect the capital’s major roads have increasingly become informal shelters, garbage dumps, makeshift kitchens, and even hotspots for petty crime.
By day, some of these underpasses bustle with activity. Food stalls, repair shops, and informal parking businesses sustain hundreds of families struggling to make a living in the city.
But by night, many of the same areas transform into hideouts for street gangs and truant youth, leaving nearby residents fearful.
Christine Ondieki, a widow and mother of three, runs a modest food kiosk beneath a bridge in Pipeline.
“I know it can be quite unsafe, but this is where I earn money to feed my children. If I don’t cook here, then we will go hungry,” she says.
Her stall closes at night, leaving the ground to street families and opportunistic gangs.
Residents say some groups light fires against the bridge pillars to keep warm or cook, leaving them charred. Others use the spaces as informal toilets or garbage points, while gangs reportedly extort passers-by with “crossing fees.”
Alloyce Wanga, a Kenyan visiting from the United States, recounted a recent encounter.
“I disembarked from my taxi near Transami and bumped into a group of young men cooking under a road bridge.
They immediately surrounded me demanding what they called a ‘gate pass.’
I handed them some money, and as I walked away, I could hear them debating whether to use the money to buy flour or bread,” he said.
Residents claim many incidents go unreported, leaving the problem to fester.
They are now urging the government to act decisively to reclaim the under-bridge spaces, restore safety, and provide lasting solutions for the families who depend on them for survival.
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