Kiamunyi estate is one of the posh estates in the outskirts of Nakuru city.

It is an estate in Rongai sub county which is sandwiched between former President Daniel arap Moi’s Kabarak home and Nakuru city.

The estate obtained its name from the coining of initial letters of Kiambu, Muranga and Nyeri the original homes of residents who had settled in the region in the 1960s.

The residents who were members of Kiamunyi land buying company had intentions to develop the area into the new leafy suburb of Nakuru after Milimani.

Due to their strategic location such as proximity to the home of the head of state, and its topography that gives an alluring view of the Menengai Crater, the estate has turned out to become one of the preferred investment destination by property developers.

It is also among the most sought after places to put a residential home by the middle and high class residents in Nakuru county. For instance, the retired Chief justice David Maraga and Central Organisation of Trade Union Secretary General Francis Atwoli are just but a few prominent people who have a home in the estate.

The estate is also known as the home to the famous girl Mercy Njeri whose brief life left a massive impact to the lives of the residents.

Mercy Njeri was born in Kiamunyi in 1975 and lived a normal life until she was 6 years old.

She went to Kiamunyi Primary School, and dreamt of becoming a doctor.

She however became sickly and developed complications which forced her parents to take her to the hospital.

When she was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease, doctors recommended corrective surgery in the United Kingdom. However, her father Simon Wairaho could not afford the expenses needed for her treatment.

Then President Daniel Moi who was briefed on the issue when he visited the school, intervened and offered the money needed for the girl’s treatment.

Unfortunately, the girl who was flown to the UK succumbed while receiving treatment.

When the distraught father flew his daughter’s body back home for burial, President Moi attended. He also granted the teachers wish to rename the school Mercy Njeri primary in Memory of the fallen angel.

A secondary school and a shopping Centre that followed was also named after the girl.

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My Hood: The Rise and Rise of Kiamunyi Estate

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Joseph Openda