Hilton: Nakuru's slum where drug dealing is the better option

In the outskirts of Nakuru City, off the Nakuru-Marigat Road, is Hilton Estate, a little-known informal settlement tucked between London Estate and Nakuru’s largest dumpsite, Gioto.

Many families here live in shanties made from any material available that can serve as a roof or a wall, mostly gathered from the dumpsite.

The slum has, in recent weeks, been a focal point for the rest of Nakuru residents and security agencies following a fatal shooting of a civilian during a purported crackdown on drug dealers.

While the security operation brought to the fore the drug trade in the estate, which to some has been an open secret, the aggressive response by local youth to the police shooting was shocking.

“Hilton is a calm area where the locals live with brotherliness, until a difference erupts. Things can escalate fast, as witnessed in the recent protests,” said an elder who sought anonymity.

During the confrontation, a police officer kicked a boda boda rider, making him lose control and skid on the tarmac face first as two pillion passengers, both female, got up.

“Everyone was furious with the police for that. One of the female passengers whipped out a machete and started telling off the armed officers. That was not normal,” said the elder.

Those we spoke to, The Standard talked of the tough choices the youth have to make: involvement in robberies or selling drugs, mainly bhang.

As The Standard team walked through the estate, hawk-eyed drug dealers were quick to note the unfamiliar faces. The team’s local escort was the only reason it was not confronted.

In the open spaces away from the structures, groups of residents, young and old, sat under trees, with women routinely filling their cups with locally brewed chang’aa.

Westley Kariuki, a reformed drug addict and dealer who was born and brought up in the estate, explains how joblessness has driven many into crime and drugs.

“The main problem here is unemployment. I feared being involved in other crimes. Selling drugs was an easy way out because nobody would claim I had robbed them,” said Kariuki.

Bhang is sourced from other areas and delivered here stealthily. In the past, the police have found thousands of bhang plants being grown on idle plots, disguised as maize plantations.

Kariuki noted that with the sale and use of drugs, the formation of gangs is inevitable, and this often leads to gang wars.

“I lost a friend in one of the fights. Some of those who killed him are still in prison. When I changed my ways, I looked for them and we forgave each other,” he said.

Kariuki, who quit using drugs and the business three years ago after rehabilitation, said a section of rogue security officers is to blame for the unending illicit trade in the estate.

Kariuki says many parents are also confronted with difficult choices when it comes to speaking out on drugs once they establish that their children are drug dealers.

“No parent is happy when they realise their child is involved in drugs. However, they would rather have their son alive selling drugs rather than him getting killed for robbery,” he said.

Dave Hatfield, the founder of Maisha Mapya Centre, says that when people are poor, they always figure out a way of making things work out for them.

“Because of desperation, they do things they shouldn’t do. We are here to give them hope and guidance,” said Hatfield.