Before the first light hits the rooftops, the air is already full of noise and smell - frying mandazi and onions being chopped at roadside stalls.
In this weekly series on living in Nairobi, Michael Ochieng' reports from the bustling Mlango Kubwa, which is part of the 13 Mathare villages and where there is always competition for something; space to build structures, resources like electricity and water, and where to step on the streets. Life here is a countdown to the day you will encounter robbers - because they aren't few.
"Big Door" is what Mlango Kubwa means in English. But a door to what?
Some accounts claim it was the place people from central Kenya would be screened before being allowed into Nairobi during the State of Emergency in the 1950s. However, many dispute the theory, given that the path to Nairobi from Central Kenya typically is Thika Road.
Mr James Mwanzia, a local, tells the Saturday Nation that the name originated from the fact that the estate is the entry point to Mathare.
"To enter Mathare slums, you have to pass through Mlango Kubwa. It is the border of Pangani and Mathare. It became Mlango Kubwa because you knew you were entering a dangerous zone," the 45-year-old says.
A June 2020 UN-Habitat report on Mathare appeared to endorse the theory. It said Mlango Kubwa "is a major entry point to Mathare from Juja Road".
The "Informal Settlements' Vulnerability Mapping in Kenya" project report, noted that Mlango Kubwa - also known as Village One - is one of the 13 villages that make up the sprawling Mathare informal settlement.
The others are Kiamutisya, Kosovo, Village Two, Mathare 3A, Mathare 3B, Mathare 3C, Mathare 4A, Mathare 4B, Mashimoni (including Mashimoni Village 10), Kwa Kariuki, Gitathuru and Mabatini.
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Mlango Kubwa is about seven kilometres from the General Post Office, Nairobi. It lies between Eastleigh, Pangani and Mathare valley and covers 0.4 square kilometres. During the 2019 census, it had 74,940 households, with a population of 206,550. The population density was 68,940 per square kilometre.
Mlango Kubwa bursts to life at sunrise. Before the first light hits the rooftops, the air is already full of noise and smell - frying mandazi and onions being chopped at roadside stalls.
Radios crackle with music as matatus honk on Juja Road. Children run between puddles, dogs bark and preachers' voices rise from tin churches. To understand Mlango Kubwa, one must listen to those who have lived its story. Mwanzia was born in what locals now call Kona.
"This place came to be when soon after people were evicted from City Park," he says outside a small kiosk.
"Back then, it was called Kiamutisya. Only one man lived here with his family. People named it after him - Mutisya. More families arrived later," he says.
The UN-Habitat report says Kiamutisya and Mlango Kubwa are next to each other. Mlango Kubwa was partly a quarry in the early years.
"We used to cut stones here. The land was rough but people built on it," he says.
The pioneers put up simple wooden and stone shacks. Over time, churches and mosques appeared and a market took shape.
Walking in the estate is a feast for the eyes. Murals fill cracked walls, water runs in open drains and music blasts from salons and electronics shops.
Every corner has a story of hustle. The houses rise tall, separated by narrow alleys. Clotheslines hang between balconies, forming a roof of fabric.
Children kick balls in dusty spaces that double as playfields, boda bodas weave through crowds and water points serve endless queues of plastic containers.
In some corners, stone houses from the 1970s still stand, squeezed between newer ones. The contrast is striking - modern five-storey blocks at the front, iron-sheet rooms hidden behind them like shadows.
Even with the crowding, there is beauty in this estate. Women chat while hanging laundry, men fix bicycles by the roadside and gospel songs mix with calls to prayer. The spirit of co-existence runs deep, a blend of faith, survival and resilience.
Mlango Kubwa is one of Nairobi's most cosmopolitan estates. There are Ugandans in Kampala Ndogo village, Congolese selling clothes and even Somali families running grocery shops.
"All ethnic communities are represented here. Every group keeps its culture, language, food and music. That is what makes Mlango Kubwa special," Mr Mwanzia says.
The market sells everything - from matoke to pilau spices, used shoes to mobile phone accessories.
At the heart of the estate is Mlango Kubwa market, a maze of wooden stalls and metal roofs. It is here that many locals make a living.
Among them is Ms Mary Mulongo, a greengrocer who has operated at the market for 10 years. Her kibanda, squeezed between two fish stalls, smells of onions and coriander.
"This market feeds many families. Some days are good and others are bad, but we must sell," she says.
Ms Mulongo wakes up at 4am and heads to Wakulima market for stock. She is always back by 6am.
"The problem is not business, it is the cost of living. Rent is high and water is expensive. We even pay for garbage collection," she says.
Many Mlango Kubwa residents go to work or hustle in the CBD or Eastleigh. Being in Mlango Kubwa means they can access these places easily. House rent is relatively affordable - between Sh3,000 and Sh7,000.
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Most houses are single-room. Electricity is often illegally connected, making it unreliable and dangerous. Water flows from plastic pipes linked to unknown sources.
Electricity wires hang dangerously low. When power fails, small generators buzz through the night.
"Out of 10 houses, two may not have power. A person is electrocuted or injured because of poor wiring every week," Mr Mwanzia says.
Boda bodas zigzag on narrow paths with passengers from Juja Road to the villages. Matatus hoot and blast music. Some residents walk to the City Centre, Industrial Area or Westlands for work.
The area transforms again in the evening. Radios play, children chase one another and the smell of roasted maize and fried fish fills the air.
For many, life is a balance between hardship and hope. Poverty is visible in the worn buildings, queues for water and the kiosks selling sugar in spoonfuls.
Locals try to keep their spaces clean, dress neatly and build friendships that cut across ethnicity and religion.
The infrastructure tells the story of a community attempting to build itself with pride and little help. Roads are narrow and uneven, often blocked by garbage. Floods are common during rainy seasons.
"Waste management is our biggest challenge. Mlango Kubwa has become a dumping ground for garbage from Pangani, Eastleigh and Kamukunji," Mr Mwanzia says.
Despite the challenges, there is some semblance of progress. The devolved government of Nairobi began building the first public hospital in Mlango Kubwa last year. It will have maternity wings and offer outpatient services. St Teresa's Girls School stands tall among the shacks.
Then there is the other side of Mlango Kubwa - crime, drug abuse, teen pregnancies and unemployment.
"Teen mothers are a common feature here. Some boys join criminal gangs. Drugs are sold openly in parts that locals call 'Colombia' and 'Nigeria'," Mr Mwanzia says.
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For young people growing up in the estate, temptation is never far. Mlango Kubwa features in the crime accounts by police, either as a hideout for criminals or being a theatre of robberies.
A February 15, 2023 post by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations read: "An armed and dangerous thug responsible for a series of robberies in Nairobi's Eastlands area was last night shot dead in Mlango Kubwa."
According to Mr Mwanzia, the rime rate in Mlango Kubwa has gone down.
"With security improving, supermarkets have been opened in Mlango Kubwa," he says.
"When I was a boy, one could not walk around with a walkman. It would be snatched."
He sees more development as security in the estate improves.
"Businesses have grown and flats are replacing sheds and mud houses," he says.
The government and locals have come up with programmes to improve security. Churches run youth initiatives while community groups clean alleys and organise football tournaments. Mlango Kubwa Ward Representative Susan Makungu Kavaya and other leaders have been pushing for projects.
Locals interviewed say more needs to be done.
Mr Raphael Omoro, a boda boda, says life in Mlango Kubwa is not easy, "but this remains our home".
"We know every corner and face. Even when things are bad, we keep going," he says.
Mr Omoro, who has been a rider for six years, makes Sh500 to Sh3,000 a day.
"Sometimes, police chase us. Roads flood on other occasions but we must keep going. I'd rather ride than steal," he says.
"We need better roads and more lights. Everything stops when it rains. We only see politicians during elections."
Survival in Mlango Kubwa means stretching every shilling. Rent takes the biggest chunk of income, followed by food and water. Fare to the CBD is Sh50 to Sh100.
According to Mr Omoro, a family of four can spend up to Sh10,000 on food alone per month. Most residents use charcoal or paraffin for cooking as gas is costly. Electricity bills are unpredictable.
With these struggles, the estate thrives on informal trade. Life runs on self-employment.
Mlango Kubwa carries an extraordinary sense of resilience. Neighbours help one another during catastrophes like fires, sickness or funerals.
The estate glows in shades of gold and rust as the sun sets. Smoke rises from food stalls, laughter echoes from balconies and Juja Road hums with traffic.
Mlango Kubwa may be crowded, noisy and messy, but it is alive. It is a symbol of Nairobi's enduring spirit, a place where struggle meets creativity, where poverty meets pride and where every sunrise brings another chance through the big door.