Public land grabbers pose threat to upgrading of earmarked city estates

Private developers with an unsatiable zeal and greed for open spaces have been on the look out for ideal pieces of land in Eastlands old estates to grab  under the pretext of creating jobs for young people.

One of the spaces they have been salivating on is a stretch of land measuring nearly an acre and a half next to Ofafa Jericho Secondary School.

Building materials debri have been spotted being offloaded in the open space in darkness by transporters believed to have been hired by the grabbers who claim they want to set up garages and car wash businesses to benefit local youth.

However, despite the suspicious activities, authorities had remained tight lipped until the senior principal of the school, Mathews Linge raised an alarm to Makadara district commissioner about the intruders.

A number of entities, including the Jericho Lumumba Residents Association (JLRA) chairman Walter Ogoli, Makadara Chief and Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Sub-County commander Kiplagat reacted to establish the people behind the moves.

Harambee Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA), Anthony Sonny Kimemia dissociated from claims that he had given a nod to the move. “In an election year, anything is possible. False promises are being peddled everywhere to voters to woo them. I am not behind these activities,” he told Boma.

Another space that was at the brink of being grabbed by private land developers recently is Martin Luther Primary School, and it took the intervention of Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and ex-governor, Mike Sonko to halt the loot.

Property of unknown value was destroyed by hired goons at the school sitting on 11 acres, and which hosts up to 800 pupils.

Sakaja pledged to raise the matter with the senate committee in charge of the environment, land and natural resources to dig into the issue and establish circumstances that led the developer to claim part of the property of the school.

The school saga came shortly after the Tom Mboya Social Hall where freedom fighters converged to lay out strategies to end colonial rule was flattened by unidentified private developers in Makadara Sub-County.

Meanwhile, tenants in Zone A of Jericho Lumumba Estate are engaged in combat with artisans and businessmen on the border of the estate and Makadara estate following demarcation of a private plot in the area.

At loggerheads are alleged members of Marambucha Jua Kali Group who have taken over the open space under the watch of security personnel and residents. 

Members of the group argue that the piece of land wes set aside to put up businesses by artisans to earn a livelihood.

Public spaces

In a written petition to NMS Director General, Lt-Gen. Mohammed Badi, which was copied to land cabinet secretary Farida Karoney, the residents want the government to take action against the grabbers of the public spaces.

Deputy director of NMS Housing and Urban Renewal, Marrion Rono urged relevant state agencies, such as JLRA’s Walter Ogoli and Victoria Maina who is an estate officer with the county government to tame the grabbers.

Rono was alarmed over the development that comes at a time the final plans to start demolition of the former Nairobi City Council Houses has reached the home stretch.

She informed a team of 15 officials she had summoned to the NMS Kenya International Conference Centre (KICC) offices drawn from the 10 estates targeted for demolition under the urban renewal project construction is expected to begin in three months’ time. “The expression of interest process is over and what is pending is completion of the procurement process,” she informed the delegations.

She dismissed calls by residents of Ofafa Jericho estate houses who have lived there since the 60s that their houses be renovated instead.

Targeted estates to be developed, include Bahati, Maringo, Jericho, Lumumba, Bondeni, Ziwani Embakasi, California, Kariobangi North and Woodley Estate.

“This is the second phase of the Affordable Housing Delivery Programme in Nairobi, which aims at tackling urban decline, improving quality of the built environment, increasing housing stock, promoting optimal utilisation of land and improving the quality of social-economic life of the residents,” the notice stated.

The estates marked for upgrade are Woodley, Bahati, Maringo, Jericho, Lumumba, Ziwani, Embakasi, California, Kariobangi and Bondeni.

The plan will be executed in phases and will take advantage of the open spaces within the said estates to avoid evicting residents.

NMS plans to build the houses on open spaces after which real tenants of the former city council of Nairobi houses built in the sixties will be allocated the units under house to own tenant scheme.

During the meeting with JLRA officials, Rono said disruption of the population in the estates during construction will be minimal, and where it happens, the developer will address the matter.

Full of controversy

But implementation has not been without controversy. “The houses here are already affordable. Tenants have been paying up to Sh3,000 rents, inclusive of water and electricity,” said  Kimemia about his ward, which hosts 1,388 units NMS is targeting for up grading, adding, “Let NMS build houses elsewhere. The government has a lot of idle land. The estates should be spared as historical museums where Kenyan great leaders in the public and private sector; trade union movement lived before rising to fame.”

He defended the idea of the estate being retained as a museum like Kaloleni, which had earlier been targeted for upgrading: “It is here that the elite and the political leaders shot to prominence,” he said.

Woman leader, Jane Achieng Oloo took issue with NMS for initially holding meetings with handpicked individuals in the guise of public participation. “They were not representative of the residents. They went to sign forms for money and tea,” charged Jane, who demanded an explanation for the reason estates, such as Uhuru Estate, Kaloleni, Shauri Moyo, Mkongeniinitially target had been left off the hook.

Achieng said the houses left out were even older than those in the estate where she has spent 25 years as a resident and were in deplorable state.

Absence of Senator Sakaja, women representative Esther Pasaris, Makadara Member of Parliament George Aladwa from the ongoing forums, she said, raises eyebrows. “They may be part of the often-named barons determined to refranchise tenants to make billions from state land the government has held on behalf of the people,” she said.

Tenants want the government to enter into partnerships with stakeholders, such as World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and put up affordable subsidised welfare houses.