This is how a promising Residential area in Nairobi may die off.

National Housing Corporation (NHC) Langata Court, Nairobi, is in the middle of a Water Crisis and this may precipitate its demise from glamour to irrelevance. This residential area had great promise on inception and I would even say it was the most well planned of all the NHC estates in Nairobi. It is also one of the most secure in Nairobi. However, one problem is prevalent, and this problem seems to be artificial. The perennial shortage of water is driving residents up the wall. The residents strongly believe the nonchalant water vendors are colluding with the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) technicians to deliberately switch off the water supply so that the residents can buy from the vendors. One question comes to mind, why is Nairobi Water billing the residents without supplying water? It is also a miracle that other residential estates such as Nairobi West, Utawala, Embakasi and Pipeline do not experience this shortage, yet they have even bigger populations? 

The explanation could only come from collusion. There is a mistaken belief that Langata NHC not only has a big population, but also that being a middle class residential area, the residents provide a ready market for the vendors. These residents are struggling just like other residents of Nairobi, to make ends meet. Making then fork out money to subsidize NWSC is not only immoral but actually criminal. Even though, one may ask, what about the safety of the water from the vendors? No one can claim to know the source of this water and vouch for its safety for drinking and cooking, even for other household chores. NHC residents wish the rationing programme is adhered to religiously. This problem will drive many people out of this estate. If one is planning to move houses, Langata NHC may not be a good option. A residential area with so much promise may become a ghost town very soon, just because of the greed of a few people in NWSC and the cartels that own water bowsers. Unless NWSC cleans its house, very soon even those who own the houses may find themselves moving out. National Housing Corporation itself should also step in. Water is essential, it is not something to joke around with. That is my humble opinion.