My parents live nearer to Limuru, and due to their age, it is getting colder for them.
I want to weather proof their house to prevent cold from seeping in . Any tips?

For example, most houses in Kenya have this hole located on the top of door/windows. What is it for? Ventilation?

Having lived in Illinois, most houses don't have this hole. What is its purpose?

Houses in Illinois have rubber around doors and windows. Windows have double panes. When you close doors and windows it is almost air-tight. Walls are double insulated. Any pipes going into house have insulation around any gaps in wall.


Any tips are appreciated especially when it comes to chuma doors and windows and Kenyan roofs. That is where most of the cold seems to be coming in from.
Also the chimney seems to bring in cold, but is needed for the fireplace.
Coupled with new Jubilee VAT, power heater bill will just climb astronomically

I already have a heater as I indicated in original post. But I think it is better to prevent cold from getting inside in the first place. Especially since KPlC bill is going to be going up in a big way.

Ventilation? But in Illinois they didn't have the holes, and I was still able to breath.

How did Limuru people survive the cold in 1900 without electric heaters? Therein would lie your solution...maybe the constant fireplace and mud grass thatched houses were better insulated than our current stone, tiled and mabati roofed houses.

Wooden floor and brick are better options but we love the mahiga/makiga stones. In Uganda, Southern African countries(SADEC) brick is the default building material but only in Kenya masonry stone is the default..i wonder why

Alluminium Roof sheets? The metal is a poor heat conductor, keeps the room temperature locked in.

Quality ceiling. Gypsum, Hardboard etc. Not those cheap chinese plastics.

Seal off those ventilations. Also ensure the gap between the roof and the walls is completely sealed off, as this is where wind whistles its way into the house, while the heat escapes.

Tile the floor, use Indian quality. Concrete gets so cold that people develop arthritis in no time. Tiles are poorer conductors of heat/cold compared to concrete.

Check for leakages along the window & door seams.

Cut down trees that are too close to the house, and trim tall ones that block sunlight from beaming on the house.

Buy an electric heater. The bill might spike a bit but not by much....maybe by 3k monthly.....far better than treatment for cold related ailments and complications. The beauty about them is the temperature setting, you need not get up to switch them on and off, and they're very cheap.. 3-5k and readily available in supermarkets.

Meanwhile, huko Limuru, Nyahururu, Nyeri-Mweiga, Nanyuki mimi siwezi ishi, ata mkoloni arudi kututesa. Been there severally and it always reminds me of Kibo Hut atop Kilimanjaro, or the Majors Camp on Mt Kenya. Mimi na baridi ni kama maji na mafuta. .......point is, if acceptable, seek a long term solution, sell and move your parents over to Lower Kiambu (Juja, Ruiru, Thika Gsa Rd)or Muranga South, which have the warm Ukambani temperatures most of the year.