Kisumu’s Milimani losing its appeal

The upmarket Milimani estate in Kisumu is slowly losing its lustre due to an increase in competition for building space and the deterioration of houses once owned by the defunct municipal council.

The area, which is close to the town’s central business district, has witnessed a steady increase in commercial buildings and offices, which are gradually replacing the high-end villas and bungalows that previously defined the estate.

Matters have been worsened by the neglect of some of the old, colonial-era houses that were once home to the town’s wealthy residents.

The houses are mainly occupied by young professionals and families seeking affordable houses in the suburb. They are now in a sorry state; many have chipped roof tiles, broken windows and doors, thanks to neglect and poor maintenance. The unoccupied ones are home to colonies of bats and spiders.

Resident say that, while the houses cater for those seeking affordable housing in an upmarket estate, they have also contributed to increasing insecurity.

Some residents told DN2 that some houses had been allocated to individual owners, who rent them out to small businesses while others have already been brought down to the pave way for new buildings.

But even the occupied ones are in a pathetic state, with tenants having resorted to using carton boxes, cardboards and corrugated iron sheets to seal the holes in the roof after the tiles fell off.  

Some tenants have patched up their walls with corrugated iron sheets where some of the stones fell off.

The wire mesh ventilations have also seen better days, so the tenants have resorted to all manner of coverings to replace them.

NO LONGER AT EASE

“The patches we put on the windows and the ventilation are crude and untidy, and are what creatures like bats and geckos like to hide in, so they sometimes invade our homes,” says Paul Mutisya, who has lived in one the houses for the past five years.

The once white walls have now turned brown thanks to the dust and mud. Besides the low-class housing, increased insecurity that has rocked the estate has further worsened things.

According to residents in the municipal estate, those who cannot afford to fence their units are forced to buy water since their tapping equipment is consistently vandalised.

“We cannot keep water meters, water pipes, manholes covers and other useful stuff as vandals now have a field day stealing from us,” says Elyvin Marube, who moved from one of the houses a few months ago.

What’s more, the influx of offices and commercial buildings has led to greater noise pollution and increased human traffic, which has upset the tranquility of the once quiet neighbourhood.

A number of villas, bungalows, and mansions in the estate now host institutions, offices, and small-and medium-sized enterprises. The problem, property developers say, is attributable to unplanned land use caused by lack of zoning.

This, Mr Nickson Opande of Opande Investment says, has discouraged some investors from putting their money in the estate, with a number moving to upcoming suburbs like the Riat Hills.

Mr Opande says that high demand for middle-class housing has further worsened the situation. This has seen flats sprouting in formerly posh estates that had only bungalows.

“Although changes in land use are inevitable in a developing country, the unplanned construction is not acceptable. Clear zoning needs to be formulated and implemented,” he said.

Former town planner Everlyne Otieno said the town plan adopted 39 years ago (in 1974) that set aside areas like Tom Mboya and Milimani as residential areas had been outgrown by expansion.

“Land user change has since been imminent and we strive to run public notices in national newspapers to inform residents of the changes before executing them. We cannot jump Milimani to continue expansion beyond. If there’s growth, it will be in a pattern that conforms to modern trends,” said Ms Otieno.