Gone to the dogs: A sad tale of neglect

Nairobi’s Pipeline estate, located in Embakasi South, is on the spot after county Land and Urban Planning Chief Executive Chris Khaemba raised the red flag over its surging population and rapidly diminishing infrastructure.

Every time rain beats Nairobi,residents of Pipeline Estate in Embakasi South Constituency have to cope with such kind of muddy estate roads thanks to poor or no sewerage system.Local leaders every campaign period come and promise to build good roads with sewer line in the estate but all is just empty promises. PHOTO:JAMES WANZALA/STANDARD.

The estate is well known for its low-cost housing units contained in high-rise flats that sometimes go up to the eighth floor yet do not have a lift. Here, those on foot, speeding motorcycles and vehicles scramble for space along the narrow paths causing a lot of congestion especially in the morning and evening hours.

The estate is thought to be home to about 100,000 people yet does not have even the most basic social amenities including public schools, roads, playgrounds, markets or hospitals. It is poorly planned, has no sewerage system and various ills - such as prostitution, are common.

People are drawn to this area because of its relatively affordable houses. Single rooms range from Sh3,500 to Sh4,500, bedsitters go for Sh5,500 to Sh7,500 while one-bedroom houses are Sh10,000 to Sh13,000 depending on their size. A majority of these tenants are singles or people with young families.

The high demand for houses has brought in a number of private developers who put up houses without proper planning or approvals from the county officials.

“It is not uncommon to see a foundation dug up on Monday and in less than two weeks, they are already advertising vacant rooms to let. No wonder some buildings just collapse,” says Abel Wasonga, a resident.

One such occurrence that caught the nation’s attention was in June 2011 when a building collapsed killing four people. The building had been earmarked for demolition two years earlier.

It would appear that private developers rule the Pipeline roost, what with haphazard construction and no protective measures to protect civilians from falling debris and dust. Further, these buildings are built without consideration for roads, in such close proximity to each other such that in some instances residents cannot even open their windows.

That a developer can put up a high-rise building and not construct sewer lines further makes one wonder whether or not county officials are indeed awake to the goings-on in this region.

According to Khaemba, City Hall must now re-look at the estate’s plan and then meet to deliberate on which buildings must be brought down to pave way for social amenities.

“It is time we had a sit down with these building owners to determine which units will be pulled down to pave way for a public school,” he said.

Water is also a problem here. Long queues of residents waiting to fetch water from underground holes or taps are a common sight in the estate. God only knows where the water source is. Some residents say the water is stolen from vandalised county water pipes.

Poorly constructed balconies are another challenge that residents face and these have sometimes led to children’s deaths after they fall during play.

Shoddy garbage disposal has worsened the situation. Residents throw their waste on the road while available compost pits are sometimes left un-emptied for days meaning residents have to endure the stench of decomposing garbage.

Prostitution is rampant and as early as 9pm, skimpily dressed girls can be seen hovering in alleys and on the road seeking clients.

Bars also thrive here and compete for space with makeshift Pentecostal churches which are mushrooming day and night. Between these two, residents have enough noise pollution to last them a lifetime.

Things become even worse when it rains. Storm water, mixed with sewage effluent, pours into buildings flooding ground floors. This same mixture converts the estate’s all weather roads into a stinky, muddy mess that makes movement very difficult.

The effluent also finds its way into tap and borehole water. This endangers residents lives and many cases of typhoid have been reported in the estate’s private clinics.

A clinician at Pipeline Nursing Home - Julius Juma - says typhoid and cholera cases are common here.

“For instance, in March 2015, we received three outpatient cases of cholera and 85 cases of typhoid. In April of the same year, we received 50 and 79 case respectively in the month of May. Majority of the victims were five year olds,” Dr Juma says.

The medics say both residents and their landlords are to blame for this state of affairs. He says residents have failed to observe good hygiene while landlords have failed to provide treated water for their tenants.

“Plot owners should link up with Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to provide their tenants with treated water since what they are forced to use is often contaminated,” he said.

Pipeline Estate Chairman John Odinga, who also serves as a village elder, decries the deplorable living conditions residents are subjected to.

“There is nothing good about this estate. Our people are forced to inhale bad air and I don’t know if the city health officials have ever been here to see how we live. If these conditions continue, our people are likely to die from cholera and typhoid,” Mzee Odinga says.

Interestingly, the estate - located in Embakasi South - is a voter-rich region. A favourite among politicians who show up when seeking re-election with promises that do not see the light of day.

“We see them coming here after every five years and one of their favourite election pledges is that they will give us good roads. However, once the votes are cast and they are in office, they do not honour any of their promises,” Wesonga says.

And so the cycle continues, residents living in deplorable conditions within the capital city of this great nation. Sadly, the conditions faced by Pipeline’s residents are replicated across various estates in Nairobi.

But today, our question is to the Embakasi South local leadership led by MP Irshad Sumra: What will it take to implement measures that protect your residents and grant them the dignity they deserve?