In Nakuru, grazing land gives way to posh estate

The rising demand for housing in Nakuru has triggered fierce competition for investors in Ranges View Estate, located in Milimani East.

Once grazing land, Ranges View Estate, with posh bungalows and maisonettes, is one of the most sought-after residential addresses in the county.

Fifteen years ago, the area was all bush.

"People from neighbouring areas in Bahati drove their animals here in search of pasture. The area has grown over time to become what it is today," says Mr Opondo.

The estate has not-so-glitzy neighbours next door: Nyamaroto informal settlement is sandwiched between Menengai Forest and Ranges View. Those living in Nyamaroto call their home “gicagi”, Kikuyu for rural village.

Charles Kamau, who has lived in Ranges View for more than a decade, says: "We depend on our neighbours for affordable labour, such as gardening and household chores. We live as one."

The Nation established that most of the inhabitants of Nyamaroto were the original owners of the land where Ranges View Estate stands today.

Over time, they sold part of their land to rich investors.

Jane Kimani, from Nyamaroto, says she sold her land in 2010, for about Sh600,000 to an investor who built a home.

"I sold part of my land to pay school fees for my two sons and daughter.

However, my daughter dropped out of school, but my sons are working after they completed university," she told the Nation.

Ranges View is the fastest growing Nakuru suburb, to the West of the affluent Milimani, home to politicians, businessmen, celebrities and chief executives.

Foreigners with cash to spend also live there.

"In the 1990s, a plot was going for Sh60,000, but currently a plot sells at between Sh2 million and Sh6 million,” says Vitalis Kemboi, a resident of Ranges View.

With plans under way by the county government to expand the municipality boundaries to Ranges View, Mawanga, Kiamunyi and Lanet, as it seeks city status, the neighbourhood is expected to grow even bigger.

Important infrastructure

According to Governor Lee Kinyanjui, Nakuru town municipality shares important infrastructure such as sewer systems, drainage and water connections with the areas.

“We are planning to expand the boundaries to ensure everyone enjoys the benefits of funds meant for the city. We will continue to engage the public as we make progress towards this historic step in our county,” says the governor.

The application for Nakuru to attain city status is already before the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations.

As the population of Nakuru grows exponentially, so has demand for more land for developments.

Multi-million-shilling housing developments are cropping up in informal settlements such as Bondeni, Mwariki, Kaptembwa, Ponda Mali, Kwa Rhonda, Kivumbini and Flamingo, among others.

The developments have been triggered by a World Bank–funded informal settlements improvement project that targeted the informal settlements. Under the project, roads have been upgraded and street lights installed.

Jane Opondo, a resident of Bondeni, says the upgrading has seen land prices shoot up.

"I bought an eighth of an acre plot at Sh2.4 million, in 2018 and built my home. Years ago, the same land used to cost between Sh600,000 and Sh800,000. Currently the price is between Sh1 million and Sh3 million," she told the Nation.

Upcoming mansions and high-class bungalows and maisonettes now stand next to Bondeni, Kaptembwa and other informal settlements. They also border middle-income estates: Shabab, Racecourse, Langa Phase Two and Koinange.