Nakuru's pre-colonial estate phased out by modern units

An aerial photo of old houses and a modern building coming up in Langa Langa estate. Private developers have been forced to demolish old houses and build modern houses in the area. [Ben Ahenda, Standard]

As Nakuru City continues to grow, it's adopting new modern architectural housing designs in new residential and commercial buildings.

This is amid rising demand from a booming population and growing middle class which has left property owners with two options - meet market demands or be forced out of business.

Nakuru's competitive real estate market is being driven by factors such as appreciation of land value, types of modern houses built in different locations and their closeness to the Nakuru central business district (CBD).

One of the estates steadily coming up while replacing the old pre-colonial houses with modern high-storey houses is Langa Langa Phase 1 Estate.

Developed in the 1950s, the estate is steadily and gradually being upgraded by a few wealthy landlords who are determined to turn it into an upmarket residential area for the middle class.

"It's just a matter of time before this place is rated a high-end estate. This is because of what we see in terms of modern infrastructural development for the past five years," said Washington Odhiambo who resides in one of the apartments in the estate.

Odhiambo said the new houses had given the place a facelift and urged those who own plots in the area to follow suit.

A landlady who owns a plot in the estate lamented: "I wish I could have the heavy financial capital required to upgrade my simple plot to these storey buildings".

She says that she has approached a local bank for a loan to rebuild the facility afresh.

Designed by the then Nakuru Municipal Council, a plot in Langa Langa Phase 1 that approximately measures 80 by 40 has had its architectural plan of four houses - a single room and three one-bedroomed houses built in one block with washrooms located away from the main block.

These are the houses that are types of houses that are gradually being phased out by private developers to meet the needs of the current generation of tenants.

Although the estate still has more of the old houses, some of those unable to match the expectations and demands of the market could soon think of selling their plots and relocating elsewhere.

"This is because they do not have the ability to build high-rise buildings since the old designs are old-fashioned. Owners of the (old) plots must adhere to the demand of the market," said Elly Ogutu, the Managing Director of De-Negotiators Agencies, a real estate company.