As the sun dips below Nairobi’s skyline, painting the city in hues of amber and shadow, a different kind of urban wildlife emerges. They move with the grace of leopards and the agility of monkeys, transforming the concrete jungle into their personal playground. Welcome to the world of Nairobi Nightrunners, the city’s burgeoning parkour community that’s leaping, quite literally, into the spotlight.

In the bustling neighborhood of Kibera, where narrow alleys and makeshift structures create a labyrinth of urban challenges, 23-year-old Zawadi Muthomi prepares for her nightly ritual. Her muscles, honed by years of defying gravity, coil with anticipation. “In parkour,” she says, her eyes gleaming with the reflected light of distant streetlamps, “we don’t see obstacles. We see possibilities.”

Zawadi is part of a growing movement that’s redefining Nairobi’s relationship with its urban spaces. These young athletes, known locally as “Wanyama wa Mjini” or “Urban Animals,” blend traditional Kenyan movements with modern freerunning techniques to create a style uniquely their own.

As night falls, the Nightrunners gather at their usual starting point – a graffiti-covered wall that bears their motto in bold Swahili: “Tunaruka Juu, Tunabaki Chini” (We Leap High, We Stay Grounded). The irony is not lost on them. With a nod from Zawadi, they’re off, a fluid mass of motion that seems to defy the very laws of physics.