Neighbourhoods

In the early ’80s, Buru Buru was an enviable middle-class estate in Nairobi, where many people wished to live, and those already living there were proud to be associated with. The estate was characterised by beautifully lined white maisonettes with orange brick tiles housed in sizable compounds designed in courts, with each compound having a low, neatly trimmed hedge. It was clean, serene and...

The Mara, is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named in honour of the Maasai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin. Their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara" means "spotted" in the local Maasai language, due to the many short bushy trees which dot the...

Crowd-pulling pastor Ezekiel Odero has allowed the media into the sprawling 65-acre property owned by New Life Church which he founded.   Odero noted that the multi-million investment in Mavueni, Kilifi County, is set to become a self-sufficient neighbourhood with several social amenities.   True to the very word that he preaches, the man of cloth used 10 per cent of the land to...

Nairobi has some of the most expensive estates in Africa but it also has very affordable houses for low-income earners. With fluctuating rent prices, low-income earners face challenges in getting a decent house to live in but here are good estates to choose from: 1. Roysambu Located near Thika Superhighway, Roysambu is mostly inhabited by fresh graduates and upcoming middle-class residents. The...

South C (also known as southside or South Compton) is a middle-class residential estate located in the southland area of Nairobi. South C lies next to Wilson Airport. It is bordered by South B to the East, Langata Estate to the west and the Nairobi National Park to the south.   It was meant to be an upmarket neighbourhood. But South C, which was designated for settlement by Asians in...

If you are planning to start over in a new home, house hunting is the next step. It's sometimes exciting to look at beautiful houses and imagine how you'll live there, but much of the process is very stressful. The last thing you want is to move in and find that your new home sucks. For an easier house-hunting experience, try these helpful tips:   1. Have a clear goal Sometimes when we plan...

The Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums in Nairobi, Kenya are made up of several informal areas southeast of the city centre. This one is called "Riara". Added together, the slums have a population totaling over 120,000, a medium-sized city in its own right, with poor services, stolen electricity, and mounds of rubbish in the streets. The unerring regularity of long tin roofs, perfectly parallel, belie the squalor...

In Nairobi, the reek of exhaust fumes permeates the air. Despite the green presence of majestic Cape Chestnuts, spreading fig trees and ancient liana vines, a thick white haze hangs around the city, following the major roads like a poisonous ghost. After a few days in the city, one quickly becomes accustomed to sitting in traffic with the windows rolled up and air conditioning on, even on the most...

This small subdivision of Embakasi was built near Embakasi Village during the Moi era in the late 1990s to cater for middle class homeowners. It is believed that the estate coined its name from the then President Moi’s catchphrase “Harambee… Nyayo!” hence the name Nyayo estate.   In size, it has no rival. In beauty, only a few can compare. The mega housing estate boasts of some of the most...

What started off as one name sometimes became twisted or lost in translation. But soon, as the town’s population grew, so did the names stick till the post-independence era Here are some of them:   1. Roysambu – Roysambu is a estate located along the Thika Superhighway. It was known as Royal Suburbs during the colonial times. However this morphed to Roy-Sabu and eventually got the current name...

According to a report by Inooro TV, Jeff Mwathi 23,was contacted by DJ Fatxo for some interior decoration work in his shop. The Excited Jeff called his mother who is outside the country to share the good news and also request for some money.   Jeff and DJ Fatxo spent the entire day together and later they went drinking in four different clubs. In the wee hours of the morning, the duo went to...

Nyayo estate is probably the most organized upper middle class estate in Eastlands Nairobi. The houses are magnificent,roads perfect and everything looks in order.Nyayo Estate is the only Estate in Eastlands that can rival the likes of Kileleshwa--it's probably in a wrong place. In this estate, a mubaba will have his family living in gate A, and a side family living in a mansion in gate D, and another...

https://twitter.com/i/status/1729475687772205267 A second round of demolitions has left residents of posh Milimani estate in Kakamega counting losses running into millions. The demolitions happened on Tuesday morning – leaving a trail of destruction and disrupting families and livelihoods. There are unconfirmed reports that the residents had been given notice to vacate the land whose lease is alleged...

In Kenya, most major cities have slums. Nairobi’s Kibra constituency has several slums from Soweto, Raila to Mathare, there are many advantages people here have compared to their counterparts who reside in estates. Well from an affordable lifestyle to fresh food, here are reasons why living in slums is better than estates.   Cheap labour It’s easy to get cheap labour such as getting someone...

Mlango Kubwa estate served as an important entry point into Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) back in the 1950s. The estate, Mlango Kubwa, lies some 3.7 kilometers from Nairobi CBD. Not far from it, on the opposite side of Juja road, lies the famous Mathare. Mathare valley, to be specific. Locals arriving in Nairobi, in 1950s, especially from villages in Muranga, Kiambu areas of Thika had to be...

It was historically known as “Kiamviti” which roughly translates into “place of hyenas”. Welcome to Dallas estate, Embu’s most populous estate and arguably the fastest growing neighbourhood in Embu.   Once characterized by wooden and tin low cost “ghetto” structures two decades ago, Dallas’ changing skyline now boasts of dozens of high-rise flats and if this trend of flats...

Imara Daima, nestled a stone throw away from Mombasa Road, is among the organised middle class estates where demand for housing has steadily shot up following the improved infrastructure. The estate started as a gated community but private developers are currently outdoing each other scrambling for space around it to construct high-rise buildings. Imara is not only strategically next to Kenya’s...

In the good old days, Kivumbini, Kaloleni, Flamingo, Paul Machanga, Baharini and Ojuka estates in Nakuru town were the most sought after residential areas for low income earners. This was for a good reason. Unlike other estates, these had all the amenities including round-the-clock water supply at a subsidised cost and a consistent supply of electricity. Garbage collection was done weekly, making...

"Condo" and "duplex" are terms used to describe different types of residential properties. They have distinct characteristics and ownership structures. Let's explore the differences between them: Condo (Condominium): A condominium, often referred to as a condo, is a type of housing where individual units within a larger building or complex are privately owned. Condo owners own...

Lavington is a high net worth hood northwest of Nairobi, where those in the two-comma digit income category live. In the beginning however, it was the home of St Austin’s Mission of the French Holy Ghost Fathers, who pitched tent there when Bishop Emile Allgeyer, Fr Alain Hémery and Br Blanchard Dillenseger planted their Catholic church on August 12, 1899,a Saturday. Before its current name, the...