Morning raid at city estate that led to Nyerere, Mboya arrest

The then Tom Mboya's house (left) stands opposite Phoebe Asiyo's at Ziwani Estate Nairobi. (Jenipher Wachie, Standard)

The discordant fences of jagged rusty iron sheets have formed miniature unkempt prisons around the once airy residence. This has created a slum and paled an estate that was once home to some of East Africa’s finest politicians.

To access this cradle of democracy, a visitor must jump around numerous puddles of stinking water and weather the zombie-like gazes from small groups of stoned faced youth. Here, miraa is the holy communion, washed down by liberal sips from glasses of potent cheap gin around open-air coffee tables.