By Edna Roylex and Alice Njeri
You come to Kenyatta University and you’re introduced to long lecture halls, the Postmodern Library, and the endless walks between classes. It’s not long before the semester picks up and suddenly there are deadlines, assignments, tests, and a pressure none of those shows like Grown-ish ever warned you about.
Slowly, though, you discover another side of the university. A softer, more beautiful version. This side soothes and whispers. You just have to look and you’ll find it.
Imagine this: you’ve just had a long day. There’s a spot behind the main library, where an old acacia tree stands, its shade wide enough for three or four people. You and your friends decide to have a mini picnic. A Maasai shuka, some snacks, and maybe a Bluetooth speaker playing soft music. It feels like therapy.
Then there’s the swimming pool, not during peak hours when it’s full of noise and people, but early. If you ever manage to drag yourself there just after sunrise, and it’s already open, you’ll get a completely different experience. The water is calm. The morning sun hits the surface in a way that makes you forget you’re even on campus. It’s just you, the water, and a kind of peace that’s hard to explain.
“Nothing beats a swim after a tough CAT,” says Darlene, a fourth-year media student.
And don’t even get me started on the arboretum near the Science Complex. Green, quiet, and just wild enough to feel like a small escape. I’ve walked through there with friends, headphones in, no destination in mind. One minute you’re surrounded by buildings and workloads, the next, you’re lost in silence and the soft rustling of trees.
“It feels like a mini Karura right here on campus,” says Rosette, a fourth-year student.
“Sometimes I just sit and listen to music. Or journal. It’s just me and the trees,” she added.
Forget the big cafeterias. Real campus insiders know the hidden gems. The chapati and smocha spot next to the Chapel that slaps harder than most restaurants. The fries joint is tucked inside the Student Centre. The smokie guy near Gate A, whose kachumbari is legendary. And I could go on.
These spots aren’t on the map. You won’t find them in the orientation brochure. But they’re real and once you find them, it’s like unlocking a secret level of campus life. A level where the pressure softens, and time slows down just a little.