One medic argues removal of smoking zones may do more harm than good. “Because I have not come across alternatives.”Despite Kenya’s prohibitions on public smoking, second-hand smoke is rising in Nairobi’s informal settlements and residential areas, raising alarms about respiratory and cardiovascular health risks.Smoking in Nairobi’s streets and open spaces, especially in neighborhoods like Jamuhuri Estate, Westlands, Kilimani and large parts of Eastlands, is resurfacing, bringing health concerns that go beyond individual smoker habits.Cigarette smoke now drifts into everyday spaces: bus stops, markets, residential courtyards, and public walkways. “I see groups smoking regularly just outside markets and along busy pavements,”…
Author: by Kevin Githuku
A vendor in Kibra fries mandazi in transformer oil, a petroleum-based substance containing harmful chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Photo/ Kevin Githuku.Residents of Kibra slum in Nairobi are risking their health by consuming street foods fried in stolen transformer oil, a toxic substance meant for electrical insulation, not human consumption.Residents openly admit knowing this, but say they have no choice.“All these chips, chapatis, samosas and sausages you are seeing in these streets, that is transformer oil. These vendors love it because it can be recycled for up to a week. It does not get finished,” a barber said.Transformer oil, designed to…