Living in the Karen suburb is the epitome of accomplishment that every person would envy to attain.
Big space, serenity and privacy that this suburb offers is desirable and this is the reason who-is-who in Kenya reside here.
But something essential is in shortage here yet the same is in abundance in congested, noisy and not-so-secure low-end estates and informal settlements.
Water is the commodity in question. Its supply is unreliable in Karen such that residents smile when it rains because they harvest it and store it in their big tanks to last them for months.
This lush neighbourhood is a low-density population which when it comes to water supply is not given priority.
Nairobi consumes slightly over 500 million litres of water each day, which is short of the current demand of over 800 million litres of water according to the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.
According to Duncan Munyua, an official of the Karen and Lang’ata District Association, the majority of homes in Karen rarely get piped water and some have opted to disconnect the pipes.
Munyua says shortages started in the late 1980s and over time residents have resorted to buying from operators of water bowsers, harvesting rain water or sink boreholes.
More and more boreholes are sunk in Karen to meet water demand.
“Boreholes dug decades ago are now drying up, so we are forced to sink deeper. Hundreds of metres below and this quite costly” Munyua Bigstar News.
But this is not the case on the other side of Uhuru highway. Though not quite reliable, water supply in Eastlands and slums is by far better than in the leafy suburb of Karen.
Former Minister Raphael Tuju is said to have spent Sh3 million on a borehole for his Dari Restaurant in Karen.
A resident of Bogani area of Karen revealed he has installed tanks with capacity of 95, 000 litres of water but when the dry spell is prolonged, he goes for the services of water bowsers.
“We were supposed to get piped water once a week but that is no longer the case. We invest heavily on that crucial commodity” Munyua said.
Karen is home to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, former Premier Raila Odinga, former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, high-profile politicians, company CEOs and top businesspeople.
