For many, the Central Business District (CBD) of Nairobi represents the city’s vibrant pulse. But for women, that pulse often beats with the rhythm of anxiety. Media personality Liz Jackson recently shattered the silence on this reality, using her Instagram platform to label the city center “ungovernable” due to the relentless harassment faced by women.
The Shock of Unprovoked Assault
Jackson’s testimony highlighted a disturbing trend of brazen physical violations. She recounted a recent incident where she was spanked in broad daylight while walking through the streets. Rather than fleeing, the assailant simply stood back and laughed—a reaction Jackson suggests signals a total lack of fear regarding legal or social consequences.
This was not her first encounter with such trauma. Jackson recalled a harrowing high school memory near the Hilton Hotel where a man grabbed her breast and met her shock with similar derision. These experiences have fueled a deep-seated resentment for the area, leading her to describe perpetrators in the CBD as “uncouth, barbaric, and uncultured.”
The 5 Faces of Daily Harassment
According to Jackson, navigating the CBD is less of a commute and more of a “daily gauntlet.” She identified five specific groups and behaviors that contribute to a toxic environment for women:
-
Matatu Conductors: Frequent physical intimidation where women are grabbed and pulled toward vehicles, stripping them of their autonomy to choose their own transport.
-
Aggressive Hawkers: Sellers who use the predatory “looking is free” tactic to grab women, often following and touching them if they refuse to buy.
-
Street Nail Technicians: Known for forcefully grabbing women’s hands and ignoring all verbal and non-verbal cues of disinterest.
-
Catcalling & Verbal Volatility: Men who shout at passing women and immediately pivot to vitriolic insults if they are ignored.
-
Dehumanizing Objectification: The common use of phrases like “huyu ni size yangu” (this one is my size), which reduces women to commodities rather than citizens.
A Call for Change
Jackson’s candid posts have sparked a broader conversation about bystander apathy and the normalization of gender-based violence in public spaces. By exposing these “uncultured” behaviors, she joins a growing chorus of Kenyan women demanding a city where the “heartbeat” of Nairobi doesn’t feel like a threat to their safety.