Nairobi's property shine lost to overpopulation

I was abroad for nearly fifteen years and must admit that I am shocked by the rate of real estate developments within high-end areas in Nairobi. The places that were once leafy suburbs with one house sitting on at least half an acre piece of land are today a pale shadow of themselves. For instance, a home we once marvelled at with well-manicured lawns and a neat kitchen garden in Kilimani is today home to skyscrapers with several units, which include bedsitters, studio and one-bedroom apartments. It is surprising that some of these towering buildings have limited parking space forcing the owners or tenants to park on road reserves. I have always wondered what these highrise buildings mean in terms of density, for instance the sewer lines, that were designed over 60 years ago, and the pipes erected that may not support the developments.

Fatuma, Nairobi

Nairobi may be waking up to the reality that the increasing demand for housing to cater for its burgeoning population of nearly five million people has led to innovative ways to quench the thirst.

It may also be a reality that the county government is fast losing the battle to adhere to controlled development in some areas as private developers also compete to construct.

A few years ago, the county government was forced to embark on a rezoning plan in some areas amid grumbles from some seasoned residents who desired to maintain the tradition of their leafy suburbs.

However, over the years, policies have been approved allowing the rezoning of some areas leading to the construction of higher-density developments where homes sat on acres of land with manicured lawns.

Some of these areas were under controlled development - according to the Nairobi City Development Ordinances and Zones Guidelines.

Fast-forward to today, the reality is that the increasing population leading to a higher appetite for housing can no longer allow controlled developments in some areas.

However, private developers who do not sink boreholes and provide parking below their buildings create another monster that is water shortage and inadequate parking on road reserves.

Some lucky residents have been lucky to move to court and obtained orders topping construction of buildings whose approvals were granted illegally to rogue private developers by their fellow rogue professionals.

On the flip side, there are some private developers who have no regard for court orders zoning by-laws, plot ratios, ground coverage, environmental issues and observation of the capacity of the available infrastructure services.

Such developers put profit first and would rather go on with their project and answer questions later. For instance, it was until recently an open secret that in Kilimani, the ground coverage was 35 percent with a plot ratio of 75 percent. But some private developers will hear none of that.

There are also good private developers who follow the law and have constructed modern apartments in line with approved plans.

- Harold Ayodo is an Advocate of the High Court