Pipeline in Nairobi’s Eastlands never goes to sleep, in fact you can buy chapati or githeri at 2am in the morning.
The estate is alive, even as the rest of the city shuts down in the evening. Both legal and illegal businesses thrive here for 24 hours daily.
The estate, according to various sources, covers a land area of approximately 1.6 km² with a high population density of around 106,445 people per square kilometer.
Even though, the total number of residents is frequently cited as high as 100,000 to over 200,000.
It has thousands of businesses, include commercial sex work — both women and men who pop out from dark lanes and alleys as early as 6pm.
James Kibe, a boda boda operator who has been here for slightly over three years, explains that, “This is one of the safest places in town and recently well-lit compared to others, thus we operate on a 24-hour basis.”
Many people also prefer this estate because a rental house commonly known as bedsitters go for about Sh4000 to Sh7,000 while one bedroom goes for Sh10,000 and a two-bedroom is approximately Sh13,000.
Unlike other neighbourhoods identified with some businesses, Pipeline has all kinds of businesses, including barbershops, uniform shops, tens of brothels and strip clubs, temporary eateries, matatu booking offices, miraa trading, and even alleged peddling of hardcore drugs.
Anthony Kipruto, a security guard in a booking office belonging to a Mombasa-based bus company, believes that the presence of cheap hookers attracts hundreds of people to the street.
“With time, I’ve learnt that hookers protect their operation zones because once a negative issue is reported, they’ll lose their business,” he said.
He adds that, “This estate does not sleep because also because matatus from all the saccos drop and pick the passengers within the pipeline including those traveling to Thika via Outering road and other areas,” he disclosed.
According to Kibet, the estate is also blessed with brown ladies from the nearby counties who men to Pipeline, like magnets.
“People are also friendly in Pipeline including hot ladies from the nearby counties, in fact anyone who has lived in this estate will survive in any other parts of the world…ni raha tupu,” Kipruto added
