Why It is Like Living in Hell in Some Rental Flats in Nairobi.

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Recently I visited my Friend “Kemboz” who resides in Pipeline, along Mombasa Road.

Being the natural adventurer that I am, I was super excited as this was my first time to venture to those areas.

Upon reaching there, I utterly disappointed. Instead of decent apartments, I saw vertical, poorly designed, overcrowded slums.

1737220305350.webp


And what worries me is that this kind of flats are not limited to Pipeline Estate.

You will find them in almost every low income, middle income estates in Nairobi.

Here is why I dare say that they are poorly designed and might need intervention by regulatory authorities;

Lack of Spatial Considerations

1737220334842.webp


Flats in these estates are so close to one another such that some of them share common walls.

There are completely no walkways or driveways as the building code dictates.

The only entrance to the flat is through a narrow main door.

Height with No Lifts

1737220371901.webp


According to the Kenyan building code, a high rise building with more than 4 floors should have a working lift that ought to be maintained from time to time.

Contrary to the above regulation, these rental flats in such estates have more than 5 floors but lack lifts.

In fact, some are as high as 8 floors and still lack lifts.

I was even left to wonder the struggle people go through especially when ferrying heavy loads or when moving into to the 6th, 7th and 8th floors.

In fact, upon climbing the stairs, the risers and treads are very steep making someone so tired when climbing upwards.

Poor Workmanship

1737220413147.webp


I could not help but notice bent beams, skewed columns and paint peeling off due to water leakages.

To my utter shock, there were some units with clear visible cracks and yet there are some people living in those units.

To add salt to the injury, there were people living on unfinished floors.

Lack of social Amenities

1737220449544.webp


Can you imagine living in a house without regular power supply, and no water?

In fact, my friend told me that they normally purchase water from vendors who sell them at KES 20 per gallon.

And remember you have to carry it all the way up to the 8th floor on very steep stairs.

Looking around the flats, the sewage system is poor maintained with the manholes constantly spilling sewer to the nearby walkways and trenches and in the process producing a very bad odor.

Squeezed Room Spaces

1737220535250.webp


The spaces in the rooms are so tight, barely measuring 7ft by 5ft.

To worsen the situation, the windows are quite small making ventilation very poor.

In fact, in case someone has a communicable disease such as tuberculosis, it is very easy for them to infect the rest.

Lack of Basic Utilities

1737220535285.webp


You see, the developers there are so keen in building unworthy rentals, that they forget there is need for space for children playground, schools and hospitals.

The only school I saw was so densely populated, you are left to wonder whether it is the right environment for studies. I was also worried that the school was also located next to a local bar which apparently operates 24/7.

Hospitals, daycares, and barbershops are located on the ground floor only of the rental units and in very squeezed rooms.

Looking back, as much as one would like to fault the developers of those poorly built flats, the biggest failure is from both the county government of Nairobi and the law enforcement agencies such the NCA, the Kenya Police, and NACADA.

This is because these are the bodies empowered by the law in ensuring that the houses in such estates are built as per the stipulated code. They are also empowered to arrest and take to court those who breach such laws.

I left the estate convinced that that is the reason we constantly have cases of buildings collapsing and not only causing damage and loss to properties, but also sadly taking away lives.
 
Recently I visited my Friend “Kemboz” who resides in Pipeline, along Mombasa Road.

Being the natural adventurer that I am, I was super excited as this was my first time to venture to those areas.

Upon reaching there, I utterly disappointed. Instead of decent apartments, I saw vertical, poorly designed, overcrowded slums.

View attachment 103311

And what worries me is that this kind of flats are not limited to Pipeline Estate.

You will find them in almost every low income, middle income estates in Nairobi.

Here is why I dare say that they are poorly designed and might need intervention by regulatory authorities;

Lack of Spatial Considerations

View attachment 103312

Flats in these estates are so close to one another such that some of them share common walls.

There are completely no walkways or driveways as the building code dictates.

The only entrance to the flat is through a narrow main door.

Height with No Lifts

View attachment 103313

According to the Kenyan building code, a high rise building with more than 4 floors should have a working lift that ought to be maintained from time to time.

Contrary to the above regulation, these rental flats in such estates have more than 5 floors but lack lifts.

In fact, some are as high as 8 floors and still lack lifts.

I was even left to wonder the struggle people go through especially when ferrying heavy loads or when moving into to the 6th, 7th and 8th floors.

In fact, upon climbing the stairs, the risers and treads are very steep making someone so tired when climbing upwards.

Poor Workmanship

View attachment 103314

I could not help but notice bent beams, skewed columns and paint peeling off due to water leakages.

To my utter shock, there were some units with clear visible cracks and yet there are some people living in those units.

To add salt to the injury, there were people living on unfinished floors.

Lack of social Amenities

View attachment 103315

Can you imagine living in a house without regular power supply, and no water?

In fact, my friend told me that they normally purchase water from vendors who sell them at KES 20 per gallon.

And remember you have to carry it all the way up to the 8th floor on very steep stairs.

Looking around the flats, the sewage system is poor maintained with the manholes constantly spilling sewer to the nearby walkways and trenches and in the process producing a very bad odor.

Squeezed Room Spaces

View attachment 103317

The spaces in the rooms are so tight, barely measuring 7ft by 5ft.

To worsen the situation, the windows are quite small making ventilation very poor.

In fact, in case someone has a communicable disease such as tuberculosis, it is very easy for them to infect the rest.

Lack of Basic Utilities

View attachment 103316

You see, the developers there are so keen in building unworthy rentals, that they forget there is need for space for children playground, schools and hospitals.

The only school I saw was so densely populated, you are left to wonder whether it is the right environment for studies. I was also worried that the school was also located next to a local bar which apparently operates 24/7.

Hospitals, daycares, and barbershops are located on the ground floor only of the rental units and in very squeezed rooms.

Looking back, as much as one would like to fault the developers of those poorly built flats, the biggest failure is from both the county government of Nairobi and the law enforcement agencies such the NCA, the Kenya Police, and NACADA.

This is because these are the bodies empowered by the law in ensuring that the houses in such estates are built as per the stipulated code. They are also empowered to arrest and take to court those who breach such laws.

I left the estate convinced that that is the reason we constantly have cases of buildings collapsing and not only causing damage and loss to properties, but also sadly taking away lives.
Pipeline is an ingenious solution that stepped in to solve a social challenge for citizens where systems and policies had totally failed. Without pipeline, we would be dealing with a sprawling slum 10 times its size. Despite its shortcomings, it is proof that slums can be eliminated if the right policies are adopted and if systems work as they are designed to.

Now, let us trace the genesis of the shortcomings you witnessed. The first and most visible is the small plots on which the buildings are constructed. Land in that locality has always been expensive, largely because most of the land in Embakasi was owned by absent landlords starting from colonial settlers. That means even though there was lots of empty land, it was not available for housing.

The city council also bought huge chunks of land meant for settlement, but again due to poor policy, it was not put to such use. Therefore, pipeline investors could only afford small plots. With proper policies, the city government should have been able to provide cheap land for such investors and in the process control the quality of settlement.

The other visible issue is the quality of construction. Most of the buildings were put up with little to no professional input, in a country flush with jobless professionals. So we have a need and a solution, both ways, but cannot link-up the two. Supposing the city authorities hired building professionals who offered low-cost services to housing projects. Wouldn’t that ensure safe buildings while creating employment opportunities for professionals? Well, some cities do that.

In conclusion, Pipeline deserves accolades, and not condemnation, for overcoming insurmountable obstacles to provide a basic but non-slum habitat for city dwellers.
 
Pipeline is an ingenious solution that stepped in to solve a social challenge for citizens where systems and policies had totally failed. Without pipeline, we would be dealing with a sprawling slum 10 times its size. Despite its shortcomings, it is proof that slums can be eliminated if the right policies are adopted and if systems work as they are designed to.

Now, let us trace the genesis of the shortcomings you witnessed. The first and most visible is the small plots on which the buildings are constructed. Land in that locality has always been expensive, largely because most of the land in Embakasi was owned by absent landlords starting from colonial settlers. That means even though there was lots of empty land, it was not available for housing.

The city council also bought huge chunks of land meant for settlement, but again due to poor policy, it was not put to such use. Therefore, pipeline investors could only afford small plots. With proper policies, the city government should have been able to provide cheap land for such investors and in the process control the quality of settlement.

The other visible issue is the quality of construction. Most of the buildings were put up with little to no professional input, in a country flush with jobless professionals. So we have a need and a solution, both ways, but cannot link-up the two. Supposing the city authorities hired building professionals who offered low-cost services to housing projects. Wouldn’t that ensure safe buildings while creating employment opportunities for professionals? Well, some cities do that.

In conclusion, Pipeline deserves accolades, and not condemnation, for overcoming insurmountable obstacles to provide a basic but non-slum habitat for city dwellers.
Let the city authorities clean it up.
 
The treads are so narrow only half your foot covers it. By the time you reach 7th your heel and Achille's tendon are very hot.

Pipeline is an ingenious solution that stepped in to solve a social challenge for citizens where systems and policies had totally failed. Without pipeline, we would be dealing with a sprawling slum 10 times its size. Despite its shortcomings, it is proof that slums can be eliminated if the right policies are adopted and if systems work as they are designed to.

Now, let us trace the genesis of the shortcomings you witnessed. The first and most visible is the small plots on which the buildings are constructed. Land in that locality has always been expensive, largely because most of the land in Embakasi was owned by absent landlords starting from colonial settlers. That means even though there was lots of empty land, it was not available for housing.

The city council also bought huge chunks of land meant for settlement, but again due to poor policy, it was not put to such use. Therefore, pipeline investors could only afford small plots. With proper policies, the city government should have been able to provide cheap land for such investors and in the process control the quality of settlement.

The other visible issue is the quality of construction. Most of the buildings were put up with little to no professional input, in a country flush with jobless professionals. So we have a need and a solution, both ways, but cannot link-up the two. Supposing the city authorities hired building professionals who offered low-cost services to housing projects. Wouldn’t that ensure safe buildings while creating employment opportunities for professionals? Well, some cities do that.

In conclusion, Pipeline deserves accolades, and not condemnation, for overcoming insurmountable obstacles to provide a basic but non-slum habitat for city dwellers.
I like the way you have responded to issues raised in the article. Nevertheless, we are dealing here with human lives being at risk, including my friend Kemboz.

That aside, I think the solutions you have offered are for the new houses to be built in such areas as pipeline.

For majority of the existing structures, I see no other solution but to bring them down and build new ones in a professional manner.

The stakeholders need to sit down with the owners and think about either how they will be assisted to bring up new ones in a professional way or be compensated or any other solution that will not make either part feel aggrieved.
 
I like the way you have responded to issues raised in the article. Nevertheless, we are dealing here with human lives being at risk, including my friend Kemboz.

That aside, I think the solutions you have offered are for the new houses to be built in such areas as pipeline.

For majority of the existing structures, I see no other solution but to bring them down and build new ones in a professional manner.

The stakeholders need to sit down with the owners and think about either how they will be assisted to bring up new ones in a professional way or be compensated or any other solution that will not make either part feel aggrieved.
Too complicated. - The owners are aged and so you are talking about risking their pensions. They would also be very skeptical if the buildings once demolished they would be rebuilt to completion. Those servicing bank loans would be in trouble with their banks.
Where would you take the 50000 souls who live there in the intervening period?
 
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