My Hood: Once a sukuma wiki field, Kabachia estate stands as home to Nakuru's middle class
Some parts of Kabachia estate have well-carpeted roads.
When talking about where Nakuru's upper middle class live, Kabachia estate ranks pretty high on that list.
Located in Biashara Ward, Nakuru East sub county, the estate neighbors Section 58 and is just after Lions.
Houses in this estate are known to be spacious. It is therefore no surprise that majority of the people here are those with families due to the wide array of two to four bedroom houses.
Kabachia is known for having affordable and spacious houses.
Bedsitters which are not too common here go for Sh6,000, 1 bedroom rents between Sh8,0000 and Sh10,000, 2 bedrooms roughly rent for Sh20,000, while spacious 4 bedroom houses go for Sh40,000.
Some of the amenities found close to Kabachia estate are Lions Primary school, a market, an Indian temple, the Kingdom seekers church, Optimum hospital, Koroga Gardens and Nakuru's old fire station.
A quick conversation with one of Kabachia's locals reveals that long ago, the estate was nothing but large agricultural fields.
Regina Njeri shares, "I first moved here 22 years ago and all of it was fields of sukuma wiki. As time progressed, people began buying off the fields to build spacious houses which helped to really open up the area."
Regina Njeri who has lived in Kabachia for over 22 years during an interview on February 6, 2024.
Other amenities that are set to open up Kabachia estate are the Kingdom seekers international school and a new petrol station which are both still under construction.
A quick drive through Kabachia will have you enjoy a smoothly tarmacked road as you quickly glance at pretty apartments and houses that sit on fat portions of land.
But as you take time to drive through the feeder roads and even drive further inside Kabachia estate, you'll be shocked to find a whole section of the estate with untarmacked roads and no street lights.
A part of Kabachia estate which was once filled with sukuma wiki plantations.
"I have been a boda boda operator here for 15 years," Luka begins narrating before sharing," Long ago, Kabachia had very good roads. So much so that we'd have matatus come from town and drop passengers just at their doorstep. These days, matatus can't do that out of fear of ruining their tyres. Passengers are dropped further off and have to walk a long and dusty distance to get to their houses."
Chiming in on this point, Patrick Majoni, also a boda boda operator shares that another great problem is the lack of street lights along some sections of the roads, making them unsafe.
Sections of Kabachia estate with bad roads and lack street lights.
"There are so many cases of phone and bag snatching along places with no street lights. We've made many requests and complaints in regards to the same but our efforts have borne no fruits," Patrick notes.
Hopeful that the situation can be turned around, Regina notes that if the roads and street lights can be sorted out, Kabachia would easily become one of Nakuru's desired estates.
A section of roads at Kabachia estate that need to be rehabilitated.
"Having lived and ran a business here for such a long time, I know there's so much potential for the growth and development of Kabachia. All it needs is a bit more investing," Regina Njeri closes off.