Pipeline is a slum-like neighbourhood in Embakasi in the city of

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

. Located within the larger Eastlands area of Nairobi, it is approximately east of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...

. It has earned a reputation for its poor infrastructure, coupled with overcrowded flats, narrow streets, littering, as well as its poor drainage system.

Location

Pipeline is located approximately southeast of Nairobi's

, west of the Outer Ring Road within the Eastlands area in Embakasi. It borders another slum, Mukuru kwa Njenga, other

low-income Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little

income< ...

to low middle-income such as Fedha and Kware, and the middle class suburb of Imara Daima. Electorally, Pipeline is placed under Embakasi South Constituency; the whole constituency is within the Embakasi Sub-county.

Overview

Pipeline Estate has over the years become synonymous with a concrete

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily in ...

for its poor infrastructure and uncontrolled tenements. Overcrowded high-rises set up side by side define the estate's skyline, narrow streets, poor

drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess of water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditio ...

systems and poor garbage collection. The estate attracts

low-income Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little

income< ...

earners because of its affordability. The neighbourhood has seldom set aside open spaces that can be used for

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or ple ...

, expansion of roads and development of social amenities. As space in Pipeline ran out, uncontrolled development spread out to the neighbouring poorer Kware Estate. The neighbourhood population is alarmingly high, accommodating approximately 100,000 residents without a single public primary school. As of 2019, Pipeline together with Kware have a population of 166,517, with 87,056 of them being male and 79,439 being female. The neighbourhood has a population density of 106,445/km² in a land area of 1.6km², the highest after Huruma and Madiwa.

References

{{Nairobi, state=collapsed Populated places in Nairobi Province Suburbs of Nairobi