Don’t Buy A House Off A Brochure, Look At What Primo Park Advertised And What’s On The Ground

Marketing depends generally on two factors, perception and deception and it’s the marketer’s job to manipulate, convince a customer by taking advantage of the factors into putting them in a box and into buying their products and services.

Growing demand for homes and houses in urban areas with many willing to throw in millions in investments to own their own houses, has seen real estate firms develop plans and properties for easy and quick acquisition. With a high demand, spaces and land land continue to shrink, and given a corrupted system, structures are erected without  a clear plan ending up to a disorganized state of buildings.

In Nairobi, estates are congested with suffocating apartments coming up everyday, one wonders if the city planners ever pay attention and approving structures blindly. The truth is, with a bribe, you can put up a building in a river bed and we’ve seen that happening alot.

In Parklands, Primo Park apartments developed by Primofort Investment Ltd has drawn attention to many following photos of the building that went viral on the social media.

someone somewhere paid about KES 20-25Million off plan or from brochure images for a nice spacious apartment. then on the ground, this is your balcony…

i hear there are no law for this… pic.twitter.com/AexdFlExWu

— Ahmad Salim (@ahmedsalims) October 22, 2021

Most of the real estate agents rely on excellently polishes brochures that typically show the artist’s impression of the building and mostly not what’s on the ground for marketing. Unsuspecting clients are easily lured into buying. For instance, a potential investor in diaspora who can’t visit the actual site, would easily buy what is shown on the brochures and other adverts without having the touch of reality. This has seen many people invest their hard earned cash in dubious deals that turned out later as scam. Deceptive marketing is a devil.

Looking at the Primo Park’s website for instance, you’ll notice the gallery of the apartments shows well furnished, glamorous interiors with breathtaking views, you’ll be easily convinced. Curiously, they don’t show how the house looks like from the outside which is key when one is making a comprehensive decision. The surrounding is essential in making up one’s mind.

The artist’s impression of the building.

Artist’s impression looking really enticing.

The actual look of the house on the ground. Adjacent building swallowing the balconies, darkness and obviously there’s a privacy issue for potential home owners.

Electric line hanging dangerously next to the buildings.

Nairobi City planners got their lack of ethics and love for bribery, are overlooking essential safety measures for residents, approving dangerous buildings, uncoordinated job turning the city into a big slum.

And what is @ncakenya thinking? These are ugly trends. The beauty of the city depends on it.

Why mess the other building? @Ma3Route

— KENYA ENGINEERING FRATERNITY (@KenyaFraternity) October 23, 2021

i know that place. built like semi circles. awfully built. worse your balcony now has a patrol station view.

spring valley too – weirdly both are Total 🤷🏻‍♂️

— Ahmad Salim (@ahmedsalims) October 22, 2021

those who buy on plan or just a whatsapp brochure are in for a shock.

— Ahmad Salim (@ahmedsalims) October 22, 2021

I was talking about this a few months ago. High-rise buildings blocking sunshine, making solar panels ineffective, creating massive downdrafts of wind, and the noise and disruption of vehicles and the sewer systems can't cope with the shit of hundreds of extra people…

— Riaz Gilani (@RiazGilani) October 22, 2021

In urban and physical planning acts there is a section addressing this that limits the abuttals built in a parcel, it's to cater for utilities, landscaping and such.(eg:35% maximum permitted Ground Coverage and 0.75 permitted Plot Ratio), if enforced such couldn't result.

— Imeiva na ni mbichi (@Imeivananimbich) October 22, 2021

and share salt too

— Ahmad Salim (@ahmedsalims) October 22, 2021

Ideally, this situation/scenario is not supposed to happen. There are a number of regulations to this effect.

They include Ground Coverage and Building line which is the minimum distance (2.4m) a building is supposed to be set back from the edge of the plot. This was breached

— David Meli (@daudiMELI) October 22, 2021