Nairobi is a top 50 city in the world according to TIME magazine.
The renowned magazine based in the UK singled out the newly opened Nairobi Expressway as the main reason for the city in the sun making it to the top.
Notably, the Expressway solves the nightmare of traffic jams in the city. Nairobi is known to have some of the worst jams in the world.
“The brand-new Nairobi Expressway, the USD 650 million (KES 76 billion) project, provides a long-overdue reprieve from congestion in the centre of the city, so residents and visitors can access it more easily and quickly than ever before,” the magazine noted.
Other notable contributions to the city’s high ranking include tourist sites and treats, art and cultural experiences, as well as food offerings. These buttress the safari experience that Kenya is known for.
“… although tourists may have previously opted to make a beeline into the bush, today Nairobi is offering visitors plenty of reasons to keep inside the capital. The Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) just celebrated its opening with an exhibit showcasing Nairobian artist Sane Wadu.”
Time noted that the food offered in the city today has global inspiration. It singled out Cultiva Farm Kenya that offers Ecuadorian cuisine. The restaurant is operated by Ariel Moscardi who renders East African ingredients and flavours with South American techniques.
Nairobi is a key tech hub in Africa and hosts a number of incubations as well as regional headquarters of global brands such as Google and Oracle.
Only four African cities made it to the top 50 world ranking. They are Kigali (Rwanda), Franschhoek (South Africa), Lusaka (Zambia). The list is a result of nominations by TIME magazine’s international network of correspondents and contributors.
