How potholes and flooded drains are tarnishing Naka C estate’s 'posh' status

From afar, the high-rise buildings of Naka C in Nakuru stand tall and elegant, painting a picture of an affluent and well-planned neighborhood.

The estate has long been admired for its architectural appeal, attracting many who dream of calling it home.

However, beneath this impressive facade lies a problem that residents and visitors can’t ignore; poor road conditions.

A closer inspection reveals a less glamorous reality. The estate's internal roads are in dire condition, with muddy pools, potholes, and blocked drainage systems becoming all too common.

These ragged, unmaintained roads not only diminish the estate’s charm but also pose serious daily challenges to both residents and visitors.

Monica Wagaki, a long-time resident of Naka C for 15 years and the secretary of the Naka Residents Association, says roads and street lights have been their biggest challenge for years.

“The roads are bad, in a period of 10 years I have not seen significant road maintenance in Naka C . As much as the apartments are well built, no one is willing to bear the hustle of their car continuously being damaged because of the poor roads,” she says.

Monica adds that the bad roads have driven away potential tenants. Noting that the houses could be fetching them more money in terms of rent, but if you walk around, some homes are unoccupied. 

"More to it , we are  forced to reduce rent just to retain tenants and try to attract new ones, all because of bad roads,” she notes, while criticizing elected leaders for neglecting the estate.

Shadrack Kioko, a resident since 2008, echoes these frustrations.

 “We are sandwiched between Naka B and the Free Area, where the roads are in good condition and tarmacked. Didn’t we elect leaders too?” he questions.

Shadrack expresses anger over the lack of support from authorities, even when residents try to fix the roads themselves.

“You can’t tell me storm water can damage a road I use every day, and I’m supposed to sit and wait for this same neglectful government to act. When we take action, the county turns against us and arrests people,” he says, noting that without community efforts, the roads would have eroded into gullies due to storm water and zero maintenance.

In response to these concerns, Nakuru East MCA , Antony Karanja, in a phone interview, acknowledged the poor state of roads in Naka C.

 “I agree the roads haven’t been done in years. The main challenge has been funding,” he says.

Karanja cited the Imarisha Barabara project as a key initiative meant to improve road access across Nakuru, in partnership with ward development funds.

However, he pointed to delays in fund disbursement from the executive arm of the county as a major bottleneck. 

“Even with projects like Imarisha Barabara and the MCA development kitty, we’ve been struggling to get funds released because of what is happening nationally,” he explains.

For the current financial year, Karanja revealed he has allocated Sh 5 million toward road development. He admitted, however, that the amount is a “drop in the ocean,” given the number of roads needing attention in areas like Pipeline, Barnabas, and Naka C.

He, however, assured residents that he remains committed to improving roads among other development projects within his ward.

“We may have challenges, but I’m committed to ensuring that every area gets attention, even if it takes time,” he affirms.

As it stands, Naka C remains a reflection of the disconnect between urban development and essential infrastructure.