Soon after independence the City Council of Nairobi was at the forefront of developing housing estates for Nairobians, but the rain started beating the civic body in the late 1970s and City Hall has never recovered from the deluge, writes HAROLD AYODO

David Nyavicha was a toddler when they moved into a two bedroomed house in Buru Buru in 1979. During those days, Buru Buru estate, owned by City Council, was the upmarket area, a dream to several middle income families, a far cry to what it has become today.

Nyavicha, who is a 34 years old today says they paid monthly rent of Sh750, which has increased over the decades to the current Sh7,000.

“We have maintained the two-bedroomed house — in a compound complete with a gate — as a family house for 33 years,” Nyavicha says.

 Their neighbours who live in the three bedroomed flats paid a paltry Sh1,000 per month rent 33 years ago and Sh10,000 today. Currently, a privately owned three bedroomed house in Buru Buru estate goes for averagely Sh30,000 per month.

 Had the City Council of Nairobi (CCN) continued to construct residential houses, it would be the premier landlord in the city raking in enough money that, perhaps it wouldn’t bother to clamp the motorists’ cars. More importantly, more city residents would be assured of decent and affordable homes.

According to the latest Kenya National Bureau of Statistics population and housing census, Nairobi has a human population of 3,138,369 and 985,016 households.

The population of the capital city has grown in leaps and bounds from a paltry 11,500 in 1909 to the nightmare of the cost of high rental houses that we currently experience.

Rental housing remains a nightmare in Nairobi as majority of private developers construct to target wealthy families.

Latest statistics from the Bureau of Statistics show the value of residential building plans approved by CCN this year hit Sh5.71 billion in June.

Moreover, the value of non-residential building plans okayed amounted to Sh7.35 billion in the same month.

According to Real Analytics, a real estate data firm, construction in Nairobi and its environs account for 65 per cent of the total real estate related activities countrywide.

The remaining percentage is shared among Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu and Eldoret, among other rural areas.

Dire need

Nevertheless, majority of the residents of the capital city are either average or poor, leading to slums that cover five per cent of Nairobi’s 684 square kilometres.

And with the population growth rate of Nairobi at 4.1 per cent, affordable housing will remain a dream despite constitutional provisions of right to housing.

Recently, Housing minister Soita Shitanda said the estimated current urban need is 250,000 housing units per year against a supply of about 50,000 units.

According to Shitanda, population increase in urban and semi-urban areas has pushed up the demand for housing units.

“Proper planning and effective management and increased investment in urban areas are critical for the realisation of a developed nation,” Shitanda says.

CCN chief housing officer Tairus Kimani says City Hall would have sustained its efforts to provide affordable housing as it did over three decades ago.

Unfortunately, rain started pounding the local authority after it constructed its last residential housing between 1978 and 1979.

“The two-bedroomed bungalows, four bedroomed maisonettes and three bedroomed flats in Buru Buru were among our last projects 33 years ago,” Kimani says.

Other last constructions included the now dilapidated three bedroomed flats in Huruma and Kariobangi South where residents pay utmost Sh10,000 rent monthly.

Major financial donors behind the construction of the over 17,000 units owned by City Hall seemed to have closed their monetary taps.

“Major funds were from the World Bank and the European Economic Community...the developments changed real estate in Nairobi,” Kimani says.

According to him, the donor funds also played a pivotal role in site and service schemes that opened up Dandora, Huruma and California for settlement.

“City Hall steered real estate as the local authority even constructed several estates that were sold to residents cheaply under tenant purchase schemes,” Kimani adds.

Good old days

For instance, majority of house owners in Kimathi and Uhuru estate bought the houses from City Hall at a paltry Sh40,000 and Sh100,00 respectively.

“Residents who bought the houses on mortgage were paying between Sh300 and Sh100 per month,” Kimani says.

Even as City Hall has not constructed residential houses in three decades, maintenance of the existing ones is a nightmare.

A section of tenants owe the local authority a whooping Sh93 million in unpaid rent prompting their on going evictions.

Some of the council estates are in Eastlands, where rent in areas like Bahati, Ziwani, Landhies Road, and Embakasi are from a paltry Sh500 per month.

Others in Harambee, Mbotela, New Pumwani, Bondeni, Kaloleni, Uhuru, Maringo, Jerusalem, Jericho, Lumumba, Ofafa and Mbotela also pay rent below Sh4,500.

Those living in Pangani, Jevanjee, Bachelors Quarters, Jamhuri, Kabete, Juja Road, Gorofani, Kariobangi South, Huruma and Outering also part with pocket friendly rent.

CCN deputy chief revenue officer Shaban Asman says tenants in Eastlands alone owe City Hall Sh53 million.

“Tenants of estates categorised as upmarket owe us Sh43 million. We are in the process of recovering the debts,” Asman says.

The upmarket estates could raise Sh 23,403,000 monthly. They include Joseph Kang’ethe (Woodley) and Mariakani.

Others are Kariokor, New and Old Ngara, Huruma, Buru Buru, Jamhuri, Ngong Road, Kabete, Juja Road, Jevanjee, Pangani and Bachelors Quarters.

According to Kimani, the chief housing officer, plans are at an advanced stage to re-develop council houses.

Major upgrade

“We intend to demolish some old houses, especially in Eastlands and construct flats that can accommodate many families,” Kimani says.

Kimani says that feasibility studies show that five flats can accommodate families living in council houses in areas such as Shauri Moyo.

“Majority of our houses in Eastlands are on vast compounds and dilapidated. Some residents are even erecting illegal structures on them,” Kimani says.

But civil society organisations led by Pamoja Trust executive director Steve Akoth insist that the buck stops with City Hall in the provision of accessible housing.

Pamoja Trust is a non-profit organisation that seeks to promote access to land, shelter and basic services for the urban poor.

“The City Council has an obligation to provide enabling environment for the development of low income housing,” Akoth says.

He argues that the council may also be required to deliver affordable housing towards provision of economic and social rights under the constitution.

 According to Akoth, residents of Nairobi may sue the local authority if it builds houses but allocated them indiscriminately.

 “It can also be sued when its budget allocation is inconsistent with the needs of the residents. For instance buying cars when residents languish in poverty,” Akoth argues.

 The executive director argues that the increase of informal settlements in Nairobi can be attributed to poor policies of the council.

 “The council is supposed to create a land bank to develop social housing but corruption at the City Hall has led to misallocation of funds,” Akoth says.

 Akoth adds that City Hall should enhance tenure security in informal settlements towards improved housing.

 “They (council) should conduct a detailed mapping of existing slum settlements, upgrade them, and demarcate their boundaries,” he says.

 Akoth concludes that even as City Hall has stopped construction of houses, non-provision of basic services like water, schools and sanitation are also a thorn in the flesh.