They live in compounds away from the embassy, patrolled by a foreign security service. Corruption is rife. Residents pay a bribe to get a phone or to have electricity restored after a long power failure. The roads are dusty and filled with potholes. Phones often don't work.
Power outages are common.
Yet expats tend to like Nairobi. Considering the lifestyle, it's not hard to understand why. Most foreigners live in spacious houses set amid lush gardens teeming with exotic tropical flowers. Almost everyone has a gardener to take care of that big yard and at least one maid to clean the house. Many have full-time cooks.