Street Acrobats Entertain Motorists Stuck in the Kenyan Capital’s Notorious Traffic
Performers say tips of up to 50 shillings a driver help them cover rent and other basic needs amid limited job opportunities.
- Street acrobats perform stunts for motorists at busy traffic junctions in Nairobi, Kenya, tumbling through the air when signals turn red and clearing the roadway quickly as lights change to green.
- These acrobatic troupes first appeared amid the Covid-19 pandemic, reflecting wider economic challenges in Kenya where youth unemployment was measured between 4.9 per cent and 9.9 per cent in 2024.
- Performers gather early to rehearse in Nairobi's Kawangware neighborhood before entertaining drivers until noon; earning roughly $6 on a good day, they distribute slips of paper with phone numbers for digital payments.
- Mohammed Nyale, 22, said performing "is what enables us to live in Nairobi" by helping pay rent, while Jackson Okoth, 28, noted the routine keeps them busy and fit.
- Okoth continues working hard, hoping "one day things might go well and I may find myself in Europe performing in a circus show." The streets remain his only stage for now.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Nairobi's street acrobats make a living by performing for motorists
The spectacle has been normalized at traffic stops in and around Nairobi, with acrobats taking advantage of gridlocks to perform for acknowledgement with cash tips. It is how they earn a living
The Toronto Star
Street acrobats entertain motorists stuck in the Kenyan capital’s notorious traffic
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — As the light turns red at a busy intersection in the Kenyan capital, a young man costumed in leopard print emerges into the street to perform somersaults. He is joined by five others, dressed similarly, as…
Associated Press News
Street acrobats entertain motorists stuck in the Kenyan capital's notorious traffic
Acrobats are materializing at traffic stops in and around the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, providing entertainment to motorists stuck in jams.
When the traffic light turns red at a busy intersection of the capital of Kenya, a young leopard-printed dress goes out into the street to make flips. Five more join him, in a similar outfit, to run a combination of stunts.
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