Tale of Kibera beneficiaries who sold their birthright

New upgraded slum house in Soweto Kibera during the handing over of the house keys to Kibera,Soweto East Zone A residents on 8/June/2016.In a project under the ministry of land,housing and urban development.PHOTO BY EDWARD KIPLIMO.

Hannah Wanjiru, 47, was all smiles as she received the keys to her new flat in Kibera’s Soweto East last Friday. She was among the 691 residents who had waited for 12 years for permanent houses developed under the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP), a partnership between the Government of Kenya and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

Shiro, as she is commonly known as in the area, gladly showed us around her house in Block G1 in the new estate she now calls Canaan, after the biblical Promised Land. When she was invited to speak during the handing over ceremony last Friday, Shiro, who has lived in the slum for the last 30 years, could not hide her joy.

“If you want to visit me, you don’t have to wear rubber boots as we have bid goodbye to the mud. When you get to my apartment, do not knock on the door, press the doorbell. If you do not get any response, call me since I might be in the market,” she said to the applause of guests who included Lands and Physical Planning Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi and Nairobi Governor Dr Evans Kidero.

Similar joy was evident on the face of Julius Kilonzo, 71, a father of eight who has lived in Kibera for the last 18 years. A retired Kenya Bus Service conductor, Kilonzo told this writer that his children are now married with children. “Nitakuwa nikirusharusha wajukuu wangu kwa hii nyumba wanapokuja kunitembelea. (I will be swinging my grandchildren in the air whenever they come visiting),” he said.

While Shiro, Kilonzo and many others were celebrating the end of their long trek to the “promised land”, others were not so enthusiastic. This is the group that never thought the project would ever come to fruition. And so they failed to pay the ten per cent deposit, which was equivalent to Sh100,000 or Sh135,000 for two and three-room houses, respectively.

Like the biblical Esau who sold his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew, the Kibera pessimists got into a deal with “benefactors” who promised to pay the deposit and subsequent installments in exchange for the houses once the allotment exercise was over. And since there was no way of changing the homeowners’ details on the master list, all the “big boys” could do was deposit the cash in the name of the genuine beneficiaries, similar to depositing cash in someone else’s account.

Jack, who requested us not to use his real name to spare him the shame, is one such individual. As the dance troupes entertained assembled guests, fear and apprehension were written all over his face. He faces a dilemma.

Government records show that Jack is the bona fide beneficiary of the unit allocated to him, having been enumerated and his personal details captured in a master list.

On the other hand, he owes more than Sh100,000 to whoever paid for the initial deposit, who wants him to hand over the house once the government exercise is through, something that pains him.

Jack met the man he describes as a tycoon two years ago through a friend. He was told that the man wanted to be allocated a house but due to the stringent requirements, this could not happen.

Jack, on the other hand, could not afford to raise the deposit and was “advised” to let the rich man pay the amount “and sort out matters later”. What Jack did not bargain on was the project’s success and the man coming for his house.

“It was a gamble,” says Jack.
Unlike those who were singing and dancing outside their new homes, this young man is even afraid of spending a single night in the new house. “Mke wangu alikuwa anataka kusafisha nyumba. Sijui nimwambie nini. Naogopa kwa sababu anajua ile nyumba nilipewa. Nafikiri nitarukia ule ukuta na niende na funguo. (My wife is planning to come and clean the house. I don’t know what to tell her. I fear for my life since she knows the house I was allocated. I will have to jump over that fence and run away with the keys.),” he tells us.

Our discussion is held in low tones lest the “big man” overhears the conversation despite the fact that only the listed beneficiaries were allowed to enter the venue of the ceremony.

He fishes out the house allocation letters from a worn-out brown envelope. “These papers mean life and death to me,” he says. “If the fellow gets hold of them, I am done.” He quickly slips them back into the envelope and melts away into the crowd.

Jack says the tussles between the new homeowners and “interested parties” have escalated to a point where some beneficiaries have changed their telephone numbers to avoid the latter. He says he knows at least 20 other individuals in a similar fix.

Shiro, who also sits on Soweto East Zone A settlement executive committee, says she has no sympathies for such people who lacked appreciation for the project. The government, she says, does not recognise any deals that were done outside of the official plan.

“These are people who thought they were being hoodwinked by the authorities. They never thought the houses would ever come up. Now they are in a fix. Let them sort out their matters out there,” she says.

As a consolation, she says, the best a resident can do is to rent out one room and use the proceeds to pay for the mortgage that should be repaid in a period not exceeding 25 years.

As a rule, a house can only be transferred to a third party until 10 years after the mortgage repayment, that will be about 35 years from today.

According to Kibra Member of Parliament Ken Okoth, efforts to deny the local people their rights will be met with strong resistance. He castigated the rich and powerful people who come with loads of money and “get ahead of the line, pushing the poor people back to a life of debauchery”.

“If you are not a genuine beneficiary of this project, don’t attempt to give a bribe for house allocation. Not over our dead bodies. Don’t try to take what is rightfully ours. We are ready to die for these houses,” said Okoth to thunderous applause from residents.