Huruma Estate is a residential estate located in the northeast of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It borders Kariobangi and Dandora to the east, Moi Air Base to the south, Mathare to the north and Eastleigh to the west. Huruma means uruma noun. compassion, mercy, pity, sympathy.
In April 2016, during Kenya’s rainy season, a building collapse in Huruma resulted in the deaths of 52 people. The building’s owner, Samuel Karanja Kamau, was charged with manslaughter.
The National Construction Authority (NCA) has found more than 650 buildings across the country unfit for human occupation, highlighting poor safety standards in Kenya’s booming real estate sector.
Nairobi’s Huruma estate tops the list of areas with dangerous building, having been found to have 388 such structures, followed by Thika
Other city estates with structurally unsound buildings include Babadogo (38), Dagoretti (16), Umoja (18), Nairobi West (9) and South B (5).
Notable residents
- George Hussein Onyango Obama – half-brother of US President with his nephew Ali Abubakar Otieno Barack Obama
Not to be confused with Huruma and Githogoro slums
Huruma and Githogoro slums are located in some of the most expensive area in Nairobi, Runda. Just behind the wall that separates the slums from the rest of the world lies massive homes of very wealthy people who often overlook the people who live just beyond the wall.
