Paul Murwithania, the chairperson of residents' association at the Ngei
Phase 2 estate in Lang'ata, Nairobi, points to a CCTV camera at the
estate's entrance. PHOTO | LUKORITO JONES | NATION MEDIA GROUP
If you do not feel safe, no matter where you live, you will not
be a happy tenant. Even if you live in a leafy neighbourhood that has
running water all day-long, has a sewerage system that works, or is near
amenities such as schools, hospitals and one-stop malls, if you do not
feel secure when you go to sleep at night, you will be a dissatisfied
homeowner.
Several years ago,
residents of Ngei Phase II in Nairobi’s Lang’ata area lived in
apprehension. Robbery and theft, even in broad daylight, was common
until the residents came together, pooled resources and took deliberate
measures to ensure that they and their families were safe.
BURGLARIES
The
chairperson of the residents’ association, Mr Paul Murwithania, offers
lessons on how residents can improve the safety in their neighbourhoods.
Mr Murwithania is a security expert and a former senior criminal
investigations officer who currently works for an international
organisation in charge of security and safety.
The
estate, he explains, is made up of a church, several schools and 298
main houses. Many of these houses also include extensions and servant
quarters.
The chair, who moved into
the estate in 2006, says that the estate was once a hotbed of crime.
Burglaries and car break-ins, he says, were especially common.
“You would park your car at your front gate
and get into your house, but on getting out a while later, you would
find a wheel or other accessories missing,” he says, adding that
incidents of crime are now unheard of.
From
experience, he says that the first step in combating neighbourhood
crime is to get every resident’s support. “Keeping our estate safe is an
undertaking that required a lot of money as well as goodwill from the
residents. While every resident agreed that security was important, it
was not easy to convince them to dutifully contribute the monthly
membership fees we had agreed on,” he reveals.
Rose
Mwangi, a resident of the estate since 2007, says that the executive
committee of the estate, which is tasked with running the
neighbourhood’s affairs had to prove to the residents that the money
collected would be put to good use.
STRATEGY
“We
implemented a strategy whereby we release quarterly financial reports
to show our members how their money was spent. We also introduced
digital payment to make tracking of payments easier. This has greatly
increased compliance,” says Ms Mwangi, who serves as the secretary to
the estate’s executive committee.
Having
seen the ways in which their money has been utilised, some members of
the estate now go an extra mile and volunteer their time resources to
keep the neighbourhood safer.
Says
Murwithania, “Sometime back, part of the estate’s fence was damaged, and
people that don’t live here began to sneak into the main playground to,
ostensibly, play football, but were actually peddling drugs such as
bhang in the estate. We raised money and put up a fence, which
immediately dealt with this problem,” he says, adding that any outsiders
hiring the ground for events are duly vetted.
Ensuring
that the residents follow the rule of the law, no matter their status
in the estate, was another critical step in bringing security to Ngei
Phase II.
For example, residents are
prohibited from ordering deliveries past 10pm, and all are required to
have their vehicles inspected by security personnel. Also, no resident
is allowed to put up an unapproved structure as had been the norm
before, a factor that led to formation of informal settlements around
the area.
Ms Mwangi explains that
earlier on, private developers had grabbed land that was supposed to be
used by the residents as a playground.
EXTRA COST
“Informal
kiosks had been built on our playground and a slum had formed right
inside the neighbourhood. This posed a great security risk. When we
finally gathered the courage to demolish the slum, the dwellers simply
put up new shanties along the fences of our estate. It took a lot of
push and pull, but we finally managed to keep the shanties away,” she
says.
Although hiring and training
security guards came at an extra cost to the residents, Murwithania says
that it was a worthy investment.
“We
have a number of guards who man our two gates to make sure that only
bonafide residents and their visitors are granted access into the
compound. All registration numbers of vehicles entering the estate are
recorded, and visitor’s particulars taken down with all daily casual
workers required to leave their identity cards at the entry points and
collect them after their visit. Keeping idlers away from the estate is a
crucial step in ensuring that residents feel safe. The guards also
patrol the compound at random intervals,” he explains.
But
just hiring security personnel is not enough. The guards need to be in
uniform, but above all, well paid and have their welfare taken care of. A
happy security guard, Murwithania says, does his job with enthusiasm
and is more diligence. The estate has also built the day and night
guards offices and living and relaxation areas.
A
strong relationship with the police has certainly helped matters. The
chair says that they work closely with Langata Police Station, and their
officers carry out night patrols in the estate. The property, being
located near Lang'ata Barracks, is home to several senior police
officers and members of the armed forces, who volunteer their expertise
in keeping the neighbourhood safe.
TECHNOLOGY
“We
are also beneficiaries of a CCTV camera project installed last year by
Safaricom in partnership with Kenya Alliance of Residents Association. I
can now monitor what is happening within the estate on my mobile phone
and supervise the guards even when I’m out of town,” Murwithania says.
Keeping your streets well lit at night is another important step in enhancing security.
“Three
years ago, the World Bank and the Nairobi City County installed
security lights all around the estate. Residents are no longer afraid of
staying up late, in fact, we feel so safe, once in a while we have
night-parties along the well-lit sidewalk,” says Murwithania.
Creating
social bonds among the residents has also led to a more secure
environment since neighbours know each other and feel motivated to look
out for each other.
“I try my best to
bring the residents together so that they can bond and develop trust
among one another. We, for instance, encourage zonal courts to host
regular parties where they can sit down together and exchange ideas on
how to improve our neighbourhood. We also have WhatsApp groups in which
we share our security concerns,” he says.
DILAPIDATED
This
is not all. In the future, the estate plans to build a clubhouse that
will host a gym and a shopping complex that will also serve as a meeting
point for the residents.
There are
also plans to put a car washing bay for the youth in the estate, a
business from which they can earn money and also spend their time
constructively.
There are a couple of
challenges that the estate is grappling with, however. One is
dilapidated roads that were last rehabilitated in the 1970s. Water, too,
is a pressing issue with residents sometimes receiving water only once a
week.
“We have done our part and
taken care of security, besides lobbying the Nairobi County government
to look into these issues, there is little else we can do,” he says,
hoping that the matter will be sorted out soon.
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