For thousands of low-income workers in Nairobi, Embakasi Pipeline has long been one of the few places where ordinary Kenyans could still find relatively affordable housing close to jobs in Industrial Area and other parts of the city. The estate has become home to casual labourers, factory workers, security guards, hawkers, and countless families trying to survive on modest incomes.

However, residents now say a housing crisis is quietly unfolding in the area as landlords impose steep rent increases with little warning and tenants are left with few options but to pay up or leave. At a time when the cost of food, transport, electricity, and healthcare continues to rise, many households say rent has become the latest burden pushing them to the brink.

What worries residents most is not just the increase itself, but the manner in which some landlords allegedly enforce the new rates. Tenants claim that notices are either not issued at all or are communicated informally through caretakers, leaving families scrambling to find money they never budgeted for.

Hello Nyakundi,

Kindly hide my identity.

I am a resident of Pipeline in Embakasi and would like to raise concerns about the rampant rent hikes that many tenants are currently facing.

Within a very short period this year, rent has increased dramatically across many residential units in the area.

For example, a small single-room unit that was previously renting for KSh3,500 is now going for around KSh4,800.

That is an increase of more than 35 percent, yet incomes have not increased by anything close to that amount.

Most residents here are casual labourers, factory workers, and low-income earners who are already struggling to survive.

What is even more frustrating is that some landlords allegedly do not issue proper notices before implementing the increases.

Instead, caretakers are sent to communicate the new rates and demand payment.

Tenants who question the increases are often intimidated or told to move out if they cannot afford the new rent.

The situation becomes worse when tenants decide to leave.

Many residents complain that some landlords refuse to refund deposits or create unnecessary obstacles during the moving process.

Others claim their belongings are sometimes withheld or confiscated until disputes over rent and deposits are resolved.

As tenants, we feel powerless because there is little oversight and many people cannot afford lengthy legal battles.

The reality is that most families are living from paycheck to paycheck.

A sudden rent increase of more than KSh1,000 may seem small to some people, but for a casual labourer supporting a family, it can mean the difference between eating and going hungry.

This is why many residents believe the government's affordable housing programme could make a real difference if implemented effectively and made accessible to ordinary workers.

At the moment, many people feel trapped between unaffordable rents and a lack of alternative housing options.

I am appealing to the Ministry of Lands, Nairobi County Government, tenant rights groups, and relevant authorities to investigate what is happening in Pipeline and protect tenants from arbitrary rent increases and unfair treatment.

Housing should not become a luxury reserved only for those with deep pockets.

Concerned Pipeline Resident.