It’s one the most celebrated streets in Nairobi, home to
unimaginable innovations and a den of the most cunning antics of all time. This
is where backstreet inventions meet real-life applications. Nairoberry aint a
trait of this mushrooming economy but the heart and core of its working model.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Nairo-berry a product of Nai-roberry; thus we
coin Nairoberry.
A stroll in the beehive streets of this area betrays its
entrepreneurial clout. From retailers, wholesalers to the inventors and
manufacturers all under same roof. It’s a place full of garages, hardware and
spare-parts outlets to car-parts manufacturers. Like the legendary European
remark: “Need anything, ask the Germans.” In Nairobi, need anything? Ask the Riveroad
gurus.
Once in this hub of the town, German automakers are given a
run for their money. Need a piston? Brake pads? Well, no need for custom
duties, these guys can fabricate an identical part. To sweeten the deal, their
parts are exclusively cheap, durable and come with a ‘one year warranty.’
Unlike their exorbitant exotic counterparts from the other end of town! Their
slogan? You invent, we revamp; we’re the masters of your inventions.
The artisans of their art, have little to worry about. They
need little from their model operations. They have software engineers,
video-editors mechanics…anything you can think of. Theirs is a perfect
blueprint of operation. “It’s always side that the cheapest things in this city
are found in that side of town, even for a quickie,” people always joke about
it. “The most durable things in this town are found here, even prostitutes?” I can’t
stop wondering.
Are you an upcoming artist, need a cheap recording studio? A
broke engineer who has a bright invention but needs it actualized? A 19yr kid
who needs an ‘original’ certificate with bright grades? Riveroad is the road to
walk. They all come in droves, even farmers from deep rural parts of Kenya. Donning
a map, a times they come, all in such of this elusive Riveroad.
Ps; I almost forgot to mention that these Kenyan-made
artisans have not been left behind on the social media platform, they have
twitter handles; #riveroad and also a Facebook page…numerous I can’t list them.
To crown it all, also websites.
The masters of their brains, the artisans of their art, and
the dancers to their own tunes are here to stay. Inventions that no one can
think of, creativity that’s unheard of. The river-road ‘dons’ are a class
above. Hail to the #riveroad_industrialists.
