Great Wall tenants accuse management of alleged negligence
National
By
Okumu Modachi
| Jan 09, 2026
Tenants of the Great Wall Phase 4 estate in Athi River are up in arms against what they termed as alleged gross mismanagement of the property after being plunged into a power blackout for nearly three days.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, the chairman Emmanuel Ongaro, said the prolonged outage had disrupted their livelihoods and daily life, with school-going children and professionals working from home adversely affected.
The power, a resident informed this publication, was reinstated on Thursday after they visited the Kenya Power offices.
He accused the estate’s contractor and manager, Edermann, of issuing misleading information and abandoning residents at a critical time.
“We have been in darkness since yesterday (Tuesday) with no communication at all. The management has literally run away, giving excuses that they are dealing with transformers, yet nothing is being done,” Ongaro said.
Residents claimed that Edermann acts as an intermediary for essential services such as electricity, water, and internet, a situation they argue is illegal and exploitative.
They allege that electricity tokens purchased through the estate’s system are exorbitant, with units reportedly lasting less than the expected time, even with minimal usage.
Water costs were also cited as unreasonably high, with residents saying that they pay up to Sh300 per unit compared to about Sh120 in neighboring estates.
“The water is expensive, unreliable, and sometimes smells like sewage. Sometimes you wake up to no water at all,” Ongaro added, questioning why residents continue to pay service charges despite poor service delivery.
The company dismissed the allegations, pointing fingers at KPLC as being responsible for the power problem in the estate.
"The problem is with Kenya Power. They are the ones who disconnect the power (0:15) because we usually pay for the bills even before date 15. And yesterday (Wednesday) was date 7," said Simon Wambua, Edermann's deputy managing director.
"Then we decided to pay all the pending bills," he added, noting that the company had changed the meters to allow the tenants to purchase tokens directly from KPLC.
Parents also expressed frustration over the timing of the blackout, noting that schools had just reopened.
Judith Nashipai, a resident, said families were unable to prepare children for school or help them complete homework due to a lack of power.
“Our kids need to wake up early, but without electricity, everything becomes a challenge. When they come back from school, there is still no power,” she said.
They also lamented over damages of food stuffs stored in refrigerators in houses and shops that had gone bad, and medicines requiring cold storage had been destroyed.
"We are talking of huge losses. We have vaccines and insulin at the chemist's. All destroyed," said Joseph Njagi, a tenant operating a pharmacy shop within the estate.
Internet services were another major grievance as they accused the management of monopolising internet provision within the estate by blocking other internet service providers.
“We are not living in a village. We work hard and pay high rent to live here. We deserve better,” Nashipai said.
The residents are now calling for Edermann's exit and allowing them to "deal directly with Kenya Power, demanding that management of the estate be handed over to homeowners and residents.
"We do not want to see Edermann anymore. We have had enough of them, yet they have remained adamant," said Austine Kamatete, a resident.
Wambua dismissed the calls, saying it is "the tenants who are complaining and not homeowners."
They have threatened to withhold rent and service charge payments until their grievances are met, stating that they will seek legal redress should the management fail to heed their demands.
“We are ready to go to court. Enough is enough,” Ongaro said, even as they urged the government to intervene, arguing that continued mismanagement has made living conditions at Great Wall Phase 4 unbearable