Why there is a mass exodus of residents from Ongata Rongai

It’s the home of that hot real estate plot and perfect weekend nyama choma and beer getaway. It’s also the favoured ‘bedroom’ for Nairobi’s huge workforce. Welcome to Ongata Rongai, a peri-urban settlement at the outskirts of Nairobi that is rapidly emptying of residents, running away from a neighbourhood choking with garbage and runaway insecurity.

Incessant traffic jams, poor drainage, blocked drains, garbage and insecurity are driving tenants out of Ongata Rongai in droves.

“Developers are putting up new buildings in the area, but it is clear we are receiving fewer tenants than the number that is moving out to other areas because of persistent traffic jams and insecurity,” says Samuel Maina, vice-chairman of the Greater Ongata Rongai Residents Welfare Association (Gorrwa).

Landlords say the exodus of tenants to Thika Road, Kitengela and Kiambu has forced them to lower rents, but still, many are stuck with vacant houses in the township, whose population is estimated at 100,081 according to the 2009 census.

“Tenants are leaving because of traffic, poor sewerage and insecurity. It does not augur well for us, but there is little we can do about it,” says David Nyakoiro, a landlord.

Margaret Ng’ayu, an urban and regional planning lecturer at the University of Nairobi, says that emerging towns like Rongai were not well planned.

“They fell under local government authorities that lacked funding and the technical know-how to plan for ‘development’ while setting aside space for expansion of roads and other essential facilities required of an urban setting,” says Ng’ayu.

The absence of a bus park or designated public transport stops, coupled with the rowdy indiscipline of matatus is a major cause of traffic jams. These public transport operators block sections of the main road leading in and out of Rongai, resulting in snarl-ups from as early as 5am.

Traffic madness

On really bad days, it can take as long as three hours to drive from Rongai to the city centre, a distance of about 25km, which forces residents to start their journeys at the crack of dawn.

Many have fallen victim to muggers and armed robbers who waylay pedestrians and motorists. It is worse during the rainy season, as most feeder roads get flooded, muddy and barely passable.

“People start boarding matatus as early as 4am, because if you leave Rongai at 6am, you will get to your place of work at 9am. You also have to contend with another jam on the way back home. It is exhausting. That is why many opt to move out,” says Maina.

The traffic situation is made worse by the narrowness of Magadi Road. In 2001, about 23,000 residents petitioned the government through Gorrwa to expand this road between Kiserian and the Bomas of Kenya junction, but some property owners protested fearing that their buildings will be demolished.

Ongata Rongai Environment Development Organisation (Oredo) chairman Jacob Wangora says beacons for the road were placed in 1905, 1945 and 1966. Many investors put up structures close to the 30-metre wide road, even though the map indicates the road should be 60 metres wide.

Residents complain that besides the inaccessibility of feeder roads during the rains, they are also deathtraps, infested with muggers and all kinds of crooks who lurk in alleys and dark corners to waylay innocent residents in the unlit town.

In addition, property owners have encroached on the feeder roads, reducing them from the standard nine metres to  just four metres in width, meaning they are hardly wide enough for two cars.

According to Ng’ayu, the county government should not seat back and watch, but take prompt action by demolishing illegal structures and clearing unlicensed businesses off road reserves.

Garbage galore

“In places like Rongai, hawkers, markets and other illegal businesses virtually operate on the roads. It is surprising why the government turns a blind eye. County governments must prioritise urban planning, particularly in key towns,” she says.

Here, churches, pubs, schools and residential homes exist side by side, as livestock feast on mountains of garbage and crooked landlords pump raw sewage into streams and feeder roads.

“Some landlords release raw sewage onto the roads, which is a health hazard. Most nights, especially when it rains, you can smell it. So far, 18 landlords have been charged and compelled to pay a daily fine of Sh1,080, which they have to honour until public health officials feel they have learnt their lesson,” said Wangora.

The land meant for a sewage treatment plant was reportedly grabbed in the 1980s as was that meant for a dump site. As such, only a small portion of the garbage generated daily is transported kilometres away to Ngong.