Residents of Rhapta Road have formed an association to defend the community’s rights, particularly in the fight against what they call illegal and unauthorised high-rise developments.
Among the residents’ complaints are lack of security and water shortages in the area.
The residents, who have formed the Rhapta Road Residents Association to fight for their rights, say that the current zoning of the area does not allow development of more than 35% land coverage and also restricts the number of floors in a building or its height.
“We hope that the government and the authorities will listen to us because I live on Mkoko Close, which is not even a murram road, and opposite me there is a 17-storey building that is going to be built,” said Dr Raj Vaghella, a resident.
“It was formerly the Kuwaiti Embassy property and apparently that property has been reverted by the Kuwaiti government back to the (Kenyan) government and now through dubious means the Chinese have bought the property and 400 apartments will be built.”
Residents have also complained about water shortages, noise and water pollution, which will get worse as more people move into the proposed tower blocks.
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“We get water supply once a week, and these developers say they will be having boreholes. How long can the ground water supply be able to sustain unplanned structures being built up? The authorities say the infrastructure will come afterwards, when will it even happen? After 5, 10 years? Because planning of that infrastructure takes time,” Dr. Vaghella added.
Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai, who attended the launch of the Rhapta Road Residents Association at St Mary’s School, assured the frustrated residents that he would champion their cause in the District Assembly.
I think we can improve this city if we have a plan. These people are building beacon after beacon, you can’t expand the roads. So yesterday, I moved a motion at the Nairobi City County Assembly that the executive must come up with a plan to phase in an integrated traffic management system,” said MCA Alai.
Kileleshwa Sub-County is facing electricity supply problems and a rise in insecurity. Rhapta Road has become an unsafe place due to increased theft, armed attacks and deaths caused by accidents in the ongoing construction of high-rise buildings.
“I think we can make this city better by having a plan. These people are building beacon to beacon, you can’t expand the roads. So yesterday I gave a notice for the motion at the Nairobi City County Assembly that the Executive must develop a plan to deploy in phases an integrated transport management system,” said MCA Alai.
Kileleshwa Sub-County is facing electricity supply problems and a rise in insecurity. Rhapta Road has become an unsafe place due to increased theft, armed attacks and deaths caused by accidents in the ongoing construction of high-rise buildings.
“The electricity we have now, in some areas like Gichuru road you’ll find the power is going off every time. Engineer Kariuki and his team will tell you I call them every day telling them what is happening, how can you ensure that there is power stability?” Alai stated.
Another resident, David Stanson, added that there have been concerns about security in terms of theft from people walking along Rhapta Road by motorcyclists.
There have been burglaries, armed attacks in the past, it’s been going on for a number of years, but there seems to be an escalation in the risks at the moment and that’s why the residents’ association was formed.
