Bondeni estate in Nakuru East sub county prides itself as one of the oldest estates in Nakuru city and Nakuru county as a whole.

To understand more about Bondeni Estate, this writer caught up with Mzee Mohammed Ali Maguna who is in his early 80s.

He reveals that the name ‘Bondeni’ is derived from the history about settlement in Nakuru.

According to Mzee Ali, the Whites settled on the upper parts of Nakuru including Milimani while the Indians who established businesses stayed in Section 58.

"The Africans who were working in various farms and other government corporations then settled at the lower Nakuru which would later be referred to as Bondeni," he says.

The houses were built the Swahili way and on entering the estate, it brings the memories of the coastal region.

The estate, according to Mzee Ali, had plots that were initially occupied by women who had migrated from Nandi County.

The Swahili set-up came about after men who had migrated from Tanzania, Zanzibar and Comoros settled in Bondeni and later intermarried with the women from Nandi.

Some of the houses in Nakuru's Bondeni estate.

Photo credit: JOSEPH OPENDA/NMG

With time, majority of the residents joined the Islam religion.

“Most people do not identify with their mother tongue or tribe here because the intermarriages diluted this identity. The common language of communication became Swahili,” says Mzee Ali.

But as years go by, the estate is transforming and in an equal measure losing the cultural aspect and history it initially had.

For instance, storey buildings are now coming up to replace some of the oldest structures.

The Government also established the affordable housing project in Bondeni where 605 houses will be constructed.

However, Ali hopes that this new development will not erase the culture of the people in Bondeni.

Some few years ago, the estate got a tainted image after reports indicated that it was a hideout for members of the notorious confirm gang.

pmambili@gmail.com

My Hood: Bondeni Estate and Its Rich Swahili Culture

Author Spotlight

Pristone Mambili