Residents of Huruma gated slum neighbour Runda estate, Horshoe village, Karura forest and other wealthy neighbours.
Their lives stands out from other slums like a fox among pigeons. Unlike other slums Huruma, has a gate with neat lawns, a tarmacked path with proper drainage system and a parking lot.
Huruma sits on 0.12 acres at the margin of Karura forest and is famed for being a chang’aa den. People who live in the area are security guards, gardeners, drivers, casual labourers at the construction sites and forest rangers. Others operate food kiosks while others work in the city.
Their children attend Cheleta primary school, a public school and they take pride for being a ‘sister school’ to Potterhouse, Brookhouse and Rosslyn academy.
For leisure, most residents take a walk on the tarmacked roads which have beautiful signage or slip into the pubs inside the slum.
The slum is tucked between Nairobi -Limuru Road and Nairobian Kiambu-Road in Nairobi, where about 1,800 residents enjoy social services other slum dwellers can only dream of.
Originally, Mji wa Huruma was part of Cheleta which is popularly known today as Runda, an Italian name given by Cheleta who owned the vast land in Runda which was a coffee plantation.
In the late 1978 people of Cheleta were evicted and the land was taken by the owners of the farm through a long judicial process. In 1979 the people decided to settle at the edge of Karura forest which has been their home hitherto.
There is no butchery in Huruma most of the people are vegetarians and have their own fenced parking lot for those who own cars and motorbikes in the slum.
Mzee Joseph Kamau Njoroge, 68, has lived in Huruma for 39 years says: “Hapa huwezi leta ulevi utawekwa ndani haraka sana. Discipline is vital in this area the rich don’t like noise and if you happen to yell you will be arrested for creating a disturbance. Even if it rains there is no way you can knock at our wealthy neighbour’s door to find shelter that’s the world we live in”.
“The only jirani we have seen with our own eyes is professor Anyang’ Nyong’o. He is a very humble person and always says hi to the people”.
According to James Mwangi Kuria, boda boda chairman in Huruma most of the Wazungu’s working in UNEP don’t like driving to work as they prefer nduthiis.
The charge Sh100 to sh150. Security is not a problem here.
