Rhapta Road residents oppose construction of high-rise buildings

Rhapta Road residents have launched an association to champion the community's rights, especially in the battle against what they refer to as illegal and unauthorized high-rise developments.

The residents have decried insecurity and water shortage in the area among others. 

The residents, who have formed the Rhapta Road Residents Association to fight for their rights, say the current zoning classification of the area does not permit developments of more than 35% ground coverage and also restricts the number of floors in a building or the height.

“We hope the government and regulatory 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 structure which is proposed 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."

The residents have also decried water shortage, noise and water pollution which will be worse if more people move into the proposed high-rise buildings.

“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 has championed their cause in the county assembly.

“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 spike in insecurity. Rhapta Road has become an unsafe place due to increased theft, armed attacks and deaths attributed to 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: “There have been insecurity worries in terms of theft from people who have been walking down Rhapta Road by motorbike riders. There have been burglaries, armed attacks in the past, that’s been going on for several years but there seems to be an escalation in the risks at the moment and that’s why the Residents Association has been formed.”

The residents now hope the formation of this association will bear fruits unlike in the past, where they sent memos to the county government and all involved bodies without much intervention.