Finding Meaning in the Unexpected

Apply Visit Contact

Information for

Alumni Engagement and Advancement
Career Center
Current Student Resources
Defense Programs
Inclusion and Belonging
Executive Education
Experiential Center
Global Programs
Employer Resources
Programs for Veterans
Student Technology Center

When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.

Apply Visit Contact

Homepage
About
Whitman Publications
Whitman Across the Globe
Kenya Immersion Blog
Finding Meaning in the Unexpected

Whitman's Global Partners
Whitman Across the Globe
Florence Blog
Madrid Blog
London Blog

Finding Meaning in the Unexpected

May 16, 2026

Today was an unusual day for our team. This is because our daily plans vastly changed due to rising gas prices. In Kenya, a large portion of gas prices are dictated by added taxation from the government. This relationship creates a lot of political unrest between citizens and the government. This culminated into a large citywide protest in Nairobi. The protest encompassed bus drivers going on strike due to the increased prices, as well as many citizens crowding the roads, this made it so that employees could not commute to work. Meaning lots of businesses were shut down.

Our team originally planned to visit businesses all over the city, but due to the protests, we stayed near Homecare in the region of Karen where no protests were occurring. While today was different, it was very nice to have a change of pace by slowing down our daily routine.

Instead of departing Homecare at 6:30 a.m., our team was fortunate enough to leave at 9:30 a.m. and go to Opportunity Factory. Opportunity Factory is an original partner we were able to keep in our itinerary, and they specialize in leather goods, bags, glassware and coffee. Opportunity Factory creates these goods by employing members of informal communities to learn the skillsets of handmade goods. One of their focuses is employing women of informal communities as they are more likely to reinvest their skills, knowledge and teach the rest of their community. Our team toured the factory and learned from one of the leads on the ground, Rose.

Afterwards, our team visited The Hub, a local, outdoor mall in Karen. Our team visited the most popular grocery store in Nairobi, Carrefour, where we compared and contrasted Kenyan products from traditionally American goods. Some things we noticed were cheaper, like milk, condiments and soft drinks, but butter was more expensive. Furthermore, our team noticed a trend of products lacking preservatives, specifically, Vaseline, deodorant and herbal toothpaste. An interesting trend is that despite food and cosmetic products lacking preservatives they remain much cheaper than in the United States.

Our team then transitioned to House of Treasures, which is a boutique featuring various small, local artisans. At House of Treasures we found companies like Ubuntu, Bush Princess and Siafu. House of Treasures provides local companies with exposure and a location to sell their products.

While our day was different than we had envisioned, we were still incredibly impressed with the people who were able to show up to work, and learning about Kenyan businesses in relation to the economic and political environment they operate in. While the protests have not wrapped up entirely, we are hopeful to see what tomorrow holds.

By Isabella Scurti and Julia Luckow

Come

Join Us

721 University Avenue,
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244
(315) 443-3751

Give Back to Whitman
Academic Areas
Newsroom
Directory
MyWhitman

Syracuse University Home