What does the future hold for Nairobi’s old estates?

A residential house in Kaloleni estate, Nairobi. (Photo:Collins Kweyu/Standard)

Whereas the Nairobi City County says its plans to pull down the rundown single dwelling units in old estates like Kaloleni, Bahati, Ziwani and Mbotela and put up highrise buildings in their place, residents insist that all they want are clean and well-maintained estates, writes PETER MUIRURI

Rosylyn Lugalia has lived in her three-bedroom house in Kaloleni, Nairobi, for 38 years. She has raised her nine children, most of whom are now married and with children, here.

Her jovial and vibrant mood belies an apprehension.

The news that Nairobi County plans to redevelop the area has her worried that she might lose the place she has called home for decades.

“They called us for a meeting at the social hall and told us this place would be redeveloped in a project that will take several years. Where do we go during that period? How sure are we that we will get the new houses?” she asks as she peels raw bananas outside her home.

Lugalia, known locally as Nyaseme, is one of the many residents in this neigbourhood who are apprehensive of the county government’s plan of demolishing the 60-year-old homes to give way for apartments that can house more people.

In the proposed plan, the county government intends to redevelop over 2,000 acres in Nairobi’s Eastlands by constructing what it terms affordable housing through partnerships with the private sector. The affected estates include Kaloleni, Bahati, Ziwani, Mbotela, Jericho and Shauri Moyo.

In a yet-to-be finalised design being developed by the county government and the University of Nairobi, about 80,000 units will be constructed at a cost of over Sh40 billion.

Urban renewal

Nairobi County Lands, Housing and Physical Planning Executive Tom Odongo says the urban renewal project will follow trends in other cities around the world.

“The consultant will conduct a diagnostic study to determine why Eastlands has deteriorated to the point where the social economic fabric is all but gone. We want to know why people are getting poorer by the day while sitting on a vast resource that should benefit all,” says Odongo.

But like Lugalia, many residents are yet to fully embrace the ambitious project that is meant to transform the lives of residents in addition to hosting over 600,000 people who currently live in the city’s informal settlements.

“I wish they could start by building homes for those in Mukuru and Mathare slums whose homes continue to burn down due to congestion,” says a lady who gave her name only as Rose.

But according to Odongo, the residents are reacting to wrong information passed by those who do not want the status quo to change.

He says there are people who have turned the open spaces in between the houses into a cash cow by erecting mabati structures for rent and thus they stand to lose if lifestyles are upgraded.

He adds that people have become overly protective of this turf due to the low rents, adding that it is wrong for taxpayers to subsidise consumption instead of production. In any case, says Odongo, the current state of these estates can no longer be used as a model of living in a modern city like Nairobi.

“People should understand that urban renewal means more than pulling down houses and replacing them with another set. It also looks into ways of integrating a population with projects that generate income for residents.

Why must Eastlands continue to carry the tag as a place for the lowly in society? This is not the lifestyle we want to use as a model in an area with vast resources,” says Odongo.

While some residents read mischief in the county’s plan, others hope any planned development will preserve the area’s historical structures.

“This social hall (Kaloleni) was the country’s first Parliament where nationalists debated the country’s future. Why should it be demolished? Look, this is the house where Tom Mboya lived.

“It should be preserved for future generations. People here don’t like the idea of new homes,” says George Okoth, a resident, as he takes me around Kaloleni estate.

Some of the older generation that have lived here say the county government needs to establish how the current homes came about before carrying out redevelopment.

Residents

Among this group is Mzee Kuria Kirima, brother of the late city tycoon Gerishon Kirima. He came to Nairobi in 1955 aged 21 and a bachelor. In the past, he has lived in Makadara and Bahati and is currently in Kaloleni.

He took the Home & Away team on a historical journey of the estates that lie a stone’s throw away from City Stadium.

“Kaloleni was built by Italian prisoners of war on behalf of the British. The houses in Makongeni were built specifically to house the African carriers who ferried baggage for the soldiers. These ones here (Kaloleni) were built for the African soldiers returning from the Second World War. The British entrusted them to the city authorities on the premise that they would eventually be handed over to individuals. At what point did they come to belong to the city government?” asks Kirima.

At 80, Mzee Kirima says he just does not have the energy to climb up stairs in the proposed development: “All we want is an estate that is clean and tidy like it was when we came here. Today, we have to buy water while formerly paved walkways are long gone.”

Fears

Peter Kibue, Kaloleni Estate Resident Association executive member, says they are not totally opposed to the upgrading efforts. Like Okoth, he says the design has to take cognizance of the special place the estates occupy in Kenya’s social-political history. “We are not opposing the upgrade. But there is a long history that we would not want to demolish. We have to map out areas of great historical importance. Nationalists of all tribes used to meet in certain locations here and we want such sites preserved,” says Kibue.

Dr Ojiambo Oundo, a director and principal consultant with Roack Consult, says the densification process is inevitable in a time when the country is faced with a housing shortage.

“Eastlands has witnessed some form of land under-utilisation and urban renewal is long overdue. In any case, land values have gone up while city boundaries remain the same. There will obviously be some temporary displacement as work gets underway, but certainly, this is the way to go,” says Dr Oundo.

While the number of units will obviously increase, Oundo says the developers can try to retain some original characteristics such as the layout and external finishes.

According to Odongo, any form of urban renewal must not only keep up with the growth being witnessed in the cities but also be sustainable.

“Kileleshwa was composed of single dwelling houses but has since changed to multi-purpose units that currently house thousands of Nairobi residents. Even the minimum acreage in high-end estates like Karen has been lowered from an acre to half an acre to give an opportunity for developers to construct homes. We believe the same can happen in Eastlands,” he says.