Homeowners at the Karibu Homes estate in Athi River are staring down the threat of eviction after county authorities flagged serious structural defects in three of the development’s 63 apartment blocks, in a dispute that has left families who have lived there for close to a decade uncertain about their future.
The affected units, known locally as the “London blocks” and labelled M, N and P, are said to be showing visible vertical cracks running the full height of the buildings along their expansion joints, appearing both inside individual units and on the external walls. The estate itself comprises roughly 500 units in total.
According to assessments reportedly carried out by five separate government agencies, the buildings suffer from underlying structural deficiencies and require retrofitting before they can be safely reoccupied. Machakos County’s Department of Physical and Land Use Planning has since issued enforcement notices citing two violations: allowing residents to occupy the units without a valid compliance certificate, and permitting habitation of buildings the county now considers a public danger.
For homeowners, many of whom took out mortgages to buy into the estate more than eight years ago, the notices have landed as a financial and emotional blow. Residents say they bought into what they believed was a secure, long-term family investment, only to now face the prospect of losing access to homes they are still paying for, with school terms and other family obligations complicating any swift move.
The developer is understood to be seeking an additional independent assessment of the affected blocks before committing to a repair plan, a process that could leave the eviction question unresolved for some time. It remains unclear whether the county intends to enforce the notices immediately or allow a grace period for remedial work.
The Post has reached out for further comment on the timeline for resolving the dispute and will update this story as it develops.