Athi River homeowners face eviction over cracks in apartment blocks

The development, which comprises 500 residential units spread across 63 apartment blocks in phases one and two, is now at the centre of a dispute between homeowners and the developer, with residents demanding accountability over the condition of the buildings.

In blocks M, N and P, known as the London blocks, vertical cracks run along the expansion joints, stretching from the rooftop all the way to the ground floor.

The cracks are visible both inside and outside the buildings, raising concerns among residents who have called Karibu Homes home for more than eight years.

"This has been a dream, to have a home and to live in it. Out of the assessment done by five government agencies, they drew recommendations which pointed to the structural defect and everything to do with the structure of the buildings," Kenneth Njukira, a Karibu Homes homeowner, said.

Another homeowner, Mary Rukwaro, says the developer should be held accountable for the condition of the properties.

"We feel that he needs to be accountable because it seems like the properties were not properly built. Basically, you own a home but are getting nothing out of it," Rukwaro said.

Several steps away, Samuel Kopi's family is busy packing up and folding their memories, albeit against their will.

For families here, the losses are not only financial. The decision to leave their homes also threatens to disrupt their children's education.

"Part of what they quoted was the retrofitting, but the team representing the developer, they are for doing another report to come up with their own assessment. The report is clear and it points to liability. It's clearly indicated there, so that the owners of these units can come back, just to have their homes back," Njukira said.

For Kopi, leaving the house means walking away from a home he had hoped would remain in his family for generations.

"I was so happy. I thought that this one I will pass it to my generation. I don't know where to go and what to do because I am servicing a loan that I have not cleared. Then I have to move out. Children are in school around..." Kopi said.

An enforcement notice sent to the developer by the county government of Machakos cites several contraventions.

The county's Department of Physical and Land Use Planning cites the developer for allowing occupation without acquiring a certificate of compliance, as well as developing and occupying substandard residential buildings that pose a danger to the public.

As the eviction deadline draws closer and rain clouds gather overhead, affected homeowners face an agonising choice, stay and demand answers, or walk away from homes they have invested in for years, seeking safety elsewhere.