Francis Wachira feeds his dairy goats in Ofafa Jericho estate /FILE
Kaloleni estate on Jogoo Road, nowadays popularly known as Ololoo, was once the home of notables.
From independence hero Tom Mboya, first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, to former Ugandan President Milton Obote, who was the boss of the residents’ association, the neighbourhood was as revered as today’s Runda or Karen.
It was also the home of Barak Obama senior, the father of former US President Barak Obama upon return from studies abroad.
Other notables included former minister Fred Gumo, former Vice President Kijana Wamalwa’s wife Yvonne and former Vice President Moody Awori.
Michael Ouma, a 70-year-old man who has lived in the area since he was 30, told the Star Kaloleni is now a pale shadow of its former self.
“This place was well planned and the city administration ensured regular collection of garbage, supply of piped water and regular cleaning and pruning of lawns,” he said.
“If you live here, as I did, you experienced the best life and were a hot cake in the dating scene. Not any more. We are now a slum.”
The houses are tiny, and unplanned extension of rooms using mabati structures to accommodate large families or to rent out have destroyed the unique styling of the houses.
For Jeff Kageni, it is not just the top class residents of the past he remembers but also the rich football history of Kaloleni spurred by the adjacent City Stadium.
“Weekends were always looked forward to and many football legends lived here,” he said.
Some of Nairobi’s once famous estates have have witnessed dramatic change of fortunes over time.
As the national and county governments implement new housing schemes, the rich histories of the neghbourhoods are carted away with the rubble. Woodley is another estate with rich history in the city.
Established in 1950s, the estate has a mixed history of tragic deaths of notable residents. An Olympic athlete, a vice president, a host of MPs, assistant ministers and Cabinet ministers lived there.
The area comprises 300 housing units made up of flats and two and three-bedroom stand-alone bungalows. Now Woodley has seen demolition of the historic apartments to pave way for the storey buildings under the affordable housing programme.
Obama senior once lived in house number 118 with his wife Ruth after he divorced Anne Dunham, the mother of President Obama.
Independence hero and politician Achieng’ Oneko lived here in house number 113.
Others were former Nyando MP and minister Onyango Midika, former Yatta MP Gideon Mutiso and the athlete Billy Konchellah and former Nakuru MP Mirugi Kariuki.
Charles Sosah, a naturalised Kenya from Ghana who was an activist defending rights of Woodley residents was gunned down in 2001 aged 34.
His death has never been resolved. One of the most intriguing residents was perhaps former Gem MP Otieno Ambala.
He served in Parliament and as assistant minister but lost to Horace Ongili by 14 votest in tghe 1983 polls.
Ongili was murdered in Siaya in 1985.
Ambala was arrested from his Woodley home and driven to Kisumu where he was charged with the murder. He was taken to Kodiaga prison where he died a week later on the Saturday in June 1985 that Ongili was being buried.
Police claimed it was a heart attack. A doctor who conducted an postmortem would die in a plane crash on Ngong Hills on his way back to the city.
Another notable city estate was Ziwani that was established in the 1940s and drew big names.
The houses belonged to the city council with one room costing Sh1,200 while double ones went for Sh2,500.
James Okwara, a retired civil servant, lived in Ziwani for 20 years but the fortunes have dwindled over time, effectively turning it into a slum.
He said in the 1960 and 1970s, it was a leafy area with the houses serviced by the city council, including collection of garbage.
The cleaning and organised collection of trash by the City Hall stopped in 1978 and since then the downward spiral has been irreversible.
When Mike Sonko was Nairobi governor, he made attempts to pull down the houses and put up the high rise affordable houses but a spirited resistance by residents put the plans on ice