Don't pull down colonial houses, leaders plead

A plan to demolish houses built by the British Colonial Government in the 1920’s in Nyandarua County has created an uproar.

The structures, scattered all over the county, were constructed mainly for European settlers who owned the land.

When they left Kenya after independence in 1963, some of the structures were reserved for public use.

Their unique architectural design led to proposals to have them as historical sites to attract tourists and in turn raise revenue for the county.

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Residents expressed shock when the government recently announced, through an advertisement in the local dailies, that the houses would be demolished.

Ol Kalou Constituency Development Fund (CDF) officials had even proposed Sh2million for renovation of one of the houses.

The abandoned mansion was to be turned into divisional headquarters for Mawingu division.

According to community leaders, the move is unwarranted as the government will lose money and materials meant for public projects.

One of the mansions was constructed by Italian Prisoners of War in the early 1920’s and was occupied by a colonial administrator in Nakuru who later sold it off to a colonial settler locally known as Wamukungi.

Little Dam

The settler had personally supervised the construction of Little Dam that today provides water to Kagaa and Mawingu residents.

But after independence, residents proposed that mansion be turned into a dispensary that has now been operational for over for three decades.

In the early 1980s, the government also offered to expand the facility to include an outpatient unit.

“We applied for funds to renovate it but no one listened to us despite us applying for allocation of more land to the dispensary for future expansion until CDF came in and constructed a maternity wing for us, “says Mr Samuel Kibicho, chairman of the Mawingu Salient Scheme.

Fund its renovation

A similar two-storey mansion is located in Ol Kalou and is used by the Settlement Fund Trust officials.

Former Ol Kalou MP Erastus Mureithi declared that he would fund its renovation, to the delight of residents.

“Why would they demolish without consulting us on the way forward? We are the owners of these premises and if anything, the demolition ought to have been done in such a way that the timber and stones are used to finish or expand an existing public project,” says Mr Kibicho.

He adds: “For anyone to think of how to pull it apart, carry away red cider beams aged over 300 years’ worth over Sh5million and also be paid for demolishing the buildings is tantamount to corruption of the highest order.”

Stones no longer used

Stones used for the foundation of the house measure 12-feet by 12-feet. Such stones are no longer used during construction.

“The stones used were professionally curved and hardly do you get such masons anymore who understand the artistry of stone curving.

“And whose interests do the district commissioners in Nyandarua represent? For sure, not the people or the government,” adds Mr Kahoro.

The outer walls were raised with stones measuring 9-feet by 9-feet with wide red cider windows beautifully knitted in, before huge rectangular red cider beams were put in place to act as rental beams.

The 32 roomed mansion has two living rooms, a spacious dining room that can sit 40 people, a kitchen, study rooms, upper rooms, adjacent houses for the workers and a garage currently used as a nursery school.

The entire roof made of red cider tiles placed atop bitumen lining is rotting and falling apart but the red cedar staircase remains intact.

Land grabbing

The Ol Kalou CDF committee praised the its architecture terming it a ‘pedestrian’ friendly masterpiece and immediately set plans for renovation.

A new roof would be put in place, timber-floor tiles sanded, walls repainted and the falling ceiling replaced.

According to Nyandarua County Speaker Ndegwa Wahome, residents fear that demolition will lead to land grabbing.

The Mawingo 20-acres plot has only a small section developed while the Ol Kalou land, 96 acres, remains untouched despite allocation to the Nyandarua Institute of Science and Technology (NIST).

Obtained an injunction

In an application before Justice Mathew Emukule, leaders obtained an injunction saying they would suffer irreparable loss if the demolition takes place.

“How will we tell our history to future generations if we do not preserve these houses aged between 50 and over 100 years?

“What will we tell our children about colonialists and their lavish lifestyles?” poses Mr Samuel Kahoro, chairman of the Mawingu Divisional Development Committee.

The High Court gave the government two weeks to prepare a response to the application indicating an inventory of the houses and justification for demolition.