by Caroline Nyanga

Mention Eastlands and what comes to mind is insecurity, lack of planning and various social ills. Buru Buru, or Buru in short, is, however, considered the estate of the ‘loaded’ Eastlanders, often referred to as the sonkos in slang by residents of neighbouring hoods.

One of the courts in the estate.

Unlike most estates, Buru Buru has witnessed immense commercial and residential development since its establishment in the 1970s. The hood’s attractiveness is heightened by the presence of several banks (Barclays, KCB, Equity), ATM outlets for most leading banks, major supermarkets (Uchumi, Tuskys, Mesora), hospitals (Aga Khan, AAR), colleges (Unity, Cambridge, Alliance, Dalc), churches, petrol stations, hotels, gyms, numerous eateries and entertainment joints.

The estate prides itself in its self-sufficiency. The hood’s notoriety began with the introduction of ‘pimped’ matatus on its route 58, a trend that started in the 1980s and has grown in leaps and bounds. No other hood in the country besides Buru can boast of being endowed with the most aesthetic and acoustic matatus. Even with the recent introduction of Double M, Citi Hoppa, KBS and SmartBus, the matatus continue to rule.

Courts and phases

Fare to the city centre ranges from Sh30 charged by regular matatus, to Sh50 charged by the

Tuskys supermarket is one of the major shopping malls in the hood. Photos: Jeniffer Wachie/Standard

most pimped matatus that move dangerously fast, get right into the city and are never stopped by the police. However, transport picked from Muthurwa Market costs Sh20.

It takes an average of ten minutes to and from the city on the pimped matatus and up to 30 minutes on the other forms of transport.

Buru Buru was the first estate to be divided into phases — from phase one to five. Inside the phases, houses of between 20 and 30 are grouped together into courts, which are manned by security guards who vet visitors. The roads within the estate are tarmacked and mostly clean.

Most roads in the estate are clean and tarmacked.
Houses comprise maisonettes, bungalows, extensions and flats. Some are owner-occupied while others are rental.

To buy a house in Buru, one has to part with between Sh3 million and Sh6 million depending on the phase and number of bedrooms of the desired house.

Rent ranges from Sh7,000 (for single room extensions-cum-servants quarters) to Sh30,000 for immaculate, three to four-bedroom houses.