Housing density increased

Recent decisions by City Hall to zone Karen for medium housing density has completely changed it. The calm and quiet Karen Center we once knew marked by a fuelling station, a bank, a post office and the Police Station is gone. The increased population has totally redefined the landscape. Senior citizens who resided in the “original and exclusive” Karen must wonder what came of their estate and center. But they should have seen it coming when the population of Dagoretti, Lang’ata and Ngong exploded. Karen had to change with time.

In old leafy Karen, subdivisions were disallowed. This changed when, under pressure, the City Council allowed density to drop from a minimum of five acres to one acre, even half, in some parts. Subsequently, the Karen along Lang’ata Road saw rapid subdivisions into half and one acre parcels. Developments followed. The Galleria, a popular mega shopping mall along Lang’ata Road, now loudly invites us to Karen. The massive NP Church Karen and the Catholic University on the opposite side added activity to this once silent zone. The Kenya School of Law on Lang’ata South Road and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Karen Campus on Bogani Road added to the population. Karen Hospital came up soon after. Currently, The Park, a big complex with offices for sale, is coming up opposite Karen Hospital and just before Ndege Road. If higher density residential and commercial developments between Lang’ata and Bogani Roads continue at the current pace, this part of Karen will too lose its original residential cool state.

Vice President's official residence

Karen Road connecting Ngong and Lang’ata Roads has also seen unprecedented developments lately. This is where the proposed Vice President’s residence, recently completed and opened by President Mwai Kibaki for occupation, stands. This section is now home to new commercial developments like Karen Auto Mart and Bush Rover. The posh looking “Karen Triangle Mall” and “The Stables” have recently come up opposite the VP’s future residence. Commercial complexes “Darosa Plaza” and “Karen Plains Arcade” lie further ahead.

New entertainment outlets

Little wonder Karen Center has had to expand. These big numbers had to find expression. That’s why one finds “Nyama Choma” outlet’s like “Friends Village” and disco club “Reminisce” next to Karen Center. Here, citizens can walk in and place orders for “Nyama Choma” without feeling out of place. They can then walk to “Reminisce” next door for a dance. Sadly, old “Rusty Nail”, which wasn’t far from here on Dagoretti Road and offered a serene and quiet environment for business and social chats, closed up. We perhaps need someone to spot this gap and fill it. It’s a good business opportunity given the congestion of social places in Karen Center. Even the famous and popular Karen Club on Karen Road may not be able to sufficiently serve the needs of the patrons who previously frequented “Rusty Nail”.

High rise developments

Until recently, Nakumatt stood dominant over Karen Center. But the new Karen Square which recently opened for business now stands tall over all others. But it has introduced more pedestrian and vehicular traffic into Karen. The section between the roundabout and Nakumatt now feels quite congested to those driving or walking. Karen Office Park, Tokyo Japanese Restaurant and some new residential estates evidently eclipse old Karen as one drives in along Lang’ata Road. Karen Center today experiences mild traffic jams. Yes it does as “Matatu’s” strategically position to drop and pick shoppers doing business in Nakumatt and Karen Square. Traffic getting into the new outlets along Lang’ata and Ngong Roads also occasionally clog the roads.

Southern bypass to attract highway businesses

The Southern bypass, now under construction, is also expected to deal old Karen a big blow. I suspect that property speculators are now busy at work, trying to get property owners along the bypass to sell off. With tempting offers, some will. As is routine and already witnessed with the Eastern and Northern bypasses through Embakasi and Runda respectively, all manner of outlets such as ‘Nyama Choma’, Petrol Stations, Car wash and Timber yards will pop up. These businesses, usually associated with new highways in Kenya, offer very quick cash, thanks to well endowed highway commuters. This is expected to put this Eastern side of Karen under a lot of pressure for new developments. This is likely to drive requests for higher housing density. If the City Council is not able to navigate around such pressure, then this side of Karen may experience to rapid changes too.

Preserve some Karen greenery

While I accept that old Karen had to change with time, the Nairobi City Council must make efforts to preserve some of the old landscape for posterity. This will also preserve the diminishing greenery and carbon sink. Places around Karen Blixen Museum could be retained in their original form. Most of the Karen to the right of Ngong Road between Motoine and Mbagathi Rivers enroute to Ngong is still in its pristine form and could be preserved too, despite the pressure anticipated once the bypass is done. The expansion of Karen Center also needs to be controlled to ensure minimum neighbourhood standards and aesthetics. It is for instance unacceptable to accept that the traffic jams beginning to set in will be a permanent feature. Good development control and enforcement can effectively mitigate such nuisances.

The original version of this discussion was published in the Business Daily in July 2012.