Kaloleni where the mighty once lived

Popularly known as Ololoo, Nairobi's Kaloleni Estate's history dates back to the colonial era.

Well, there is a lot about this estate.

Famous personalities like Kenya’s founding President Jomo Kenyatta, Tom Mboya and former Ugandan President Milton Obote have one thing in common.

They at one point convened various social and political meetings there.

A resident, Moses Ouma, said  Obote and Mboya lived in Kaloleni. 

Mboya lived in a two-roomed house in Kaloleni Z1 near the City Stadium. 

“This is a very important estate to us. We are proud to be associated with big names from this country and beyond," says Ouma.

The estate was also home to Barack Obama senior after he returned from abroad,” Ouma added.

Football

Ouma recalled that Kaloleni was the estate where football was nurtured.

“The football of yesteryears in Kaloleni was the best. In the 1980s and early 1990s, we had great teams like Green Eagles, Maulanda, Racimianto, Acapulco, Olympia, Black Mamba and Kaloleni Welfare,” said Ouma.

He added that the footballers then were passionate and enjoyed the sport.

He recalled the likes of the late Mark Obibo, Joseph Weke, Father Okoyo Paplaga, Katele, Joseph Adach, and the late coach Ojes.

Others were Kadanse Mudanda, and Ambesh Kapelo who were estate legends.

Crash

Kenn Okaka who once lived in the estate remembered the 1989 Kenya Air Force plane crash.

“It was on a Saturday morning. Some of my siblings had gone to attend a Coca-Cola tournament at Nyayo stadium.

I was in the house feeding rabbits when I saw the giant thing coming down. It was big news,” Okaka said.

Notable residents

Other notable people who lived in Kaloleni include former Vice-President late Kijana Wamalwa's widow Yvonne, former Vice-President Moody Awori and the first African mayor of Nairobi Charles Rubia.

Former cabinet minister Fred Gumo and the late business tycoon and Member of Parliament Gerishon Kirima also make the list of well-known people who lived here.  

Mary Wambui who has lived in the estate since the late 1970s said Kaloleni was always cosmopolitan.

“Unlike Bahati which was predominantly Kikuyu because the colonialists wanted to segregate them, Kaloleni was cosmopolitan but with many residents coming from western Kenya ,” she said.

Edward Nero an official of the Kaloleni Estate Residents Association said the estate was once renowned for its busaa (traditional brew) trade especially at the Kaloleni Public Bar, now renamed Wood Park.

“This was an estate that was the envy of many. Did you know that Queen Elizabeth once came here to open a clinic and that the late Obote was once the president of the Kaloleni Estate Residents Association?  This is definitely a place that is rich in history and culture,” said Nero.

Last year, the residents celebrated the estate’s 70th anniversary.

Kenya Railways

Close to Kaloleni is another renowned estate, Makongeni where Kenya Railways middle-level workers lived during the early 1970s. Some still live there.

The outstanding thing about Makongeni were the compounds.

The freshly painted houses had neat hedges and the well-tended flowerbeds distinctly stood out.

At one point these were some of the most sought after living quarters in the country.

This was when one’s colour determined which part of the city one would live in.

“It was a government policy that one’s colour and rank at the corporation determined where they lived in Nairobi.

I was a mid-level employee and so I was given a house in Makongeni,” said Stephen Mutuku, now in his late 70s.

He worked for the corporation for more than 30 years.

Mutuku added that the company wanted its workers, especially those who could be recalled to work during emergencies to live closer to the offices and the railway line.

“The low cadre employees who worked on the railway line lived in Muthurwa while the signal operators and drivers lived in Land Mawe and Makongeni estates.

Those in the top-level management who were mostly Europeans occupied spacious homes in Hurlingham, Upper Hill and Parklands,” added Mutuku.

Bills

Housing was free but employees staying in estates such as Makongeni were required to foot their water and electricity bills.

The estate was well maintained as there were staff to clean the communal bathrooms and toilets.

The drainage system was functional and there was a superintendent to ensure that it was well maintained.

But years of mismanagement saw operations at the Kenya Railways Corporation ground to a halt and so did the housing projects.