Syovata Ndambuki

For years now, Kilimani residents have complained about high rise buildings invading the once quiet and highly organized neighborhood. Kileleshwa residents too, joined the list of complainers as skyscrapers take over the posh estate mercilessly.

Though residents in these two estates have made the most noise about “rogue developers”, other Nairobi estates are quietly witnessing a transition.

Hostile Takeover

South C, which was previously dominated by single dwelling family houses has experienced a vicious and hostile takeover. Just last week, law enforcers were attacked by goons while trying to stop a high rise development from being built.

In 2019, residents of the KMA estate, in South C found themselves in a bitter war against an ambitious developer who used goons to tear down their estate’s wall to build a 15-storey apartment – which the residents had previously opposed.

Muthaiga, one of Nairobi’s most affluent neighborhoods, seems to have made peace with the new trend. Tall buildings stand so close to each other, barely leaving room for air and light. Close by, Strarehe and Pangani are following suit.

Nairobi’s new zoning plan

The race for the skies-which was previously a preserve of commercial buildings is now the norm for residential developers. And they are ruthlessly invading multiple neighborhoods. Nairobi residents have made a lot of noise about these invasions, but it seems, the county government is not planning to stop the developers. In fact, everyone should buckle up for more skyscrapers.

While speaking at an event in Bahati on Sunday, the Nairobi County Governor, Johnson Sakaja said, that the county government has tabled a new zoning plan which lifts previous floor limit.

“I have heard people complaining that in areas of Kileleshwa and Lavington, our homes were one-storey but now apartments have come. Nairobi is 696 square kilometers and in 2050, it will have a population of 10.5 million people. Will we expand Nairobi? No the only place we have to go is up” he said, according to an article published by Citizen Digital.

75-floor apartments

Though it was widely reported by various media outlets that the floor limit was increased to 25 floors from previously approved, 4 floors. Governor Sakaja clarified this -through his X handle.

“The 25 floors mentioned earlier today was area specific (around airbase) and not a blanket restriction. We have proposed an area-specific zoning framework that goes up to 75 floors in some areas. It is before the assembly. We also have substantial resources being deployed in sewer and water infrastructure expansion and are grateful to partners such as @AfDB_Group and @AFD_France among others for this. Traffic, health and educational facilities as well as provision for green spaces will be mandatory in this framework. The framework will soon be available for public participation. Also, just because the height approvals have changed doesn’t mean every development proposal will be approved. There are other considerations such as plot ratios, ground coverage, area character etc that will be considered. We can only go up but must do so responsibly. And we shall,” He said in his post on X.

Increasing land prices

Beyond the nod from Nairobi County government, it was only a matter of time before high rise apartments become the norm, with or without a new zoning framework.

Land values have increased significantly, making it harder for new developers and landlords to reap significant returns from their rental units. To improve profitability, developers have several options; first they have to reduce unit sizes in order to fit more units horizontally. This has been the trend for a while, but even this measure is not enough to compete with land prices. The next solution was to make use of vertical space by increasing the number of floors in an apartment.

The only other alternative is to increase rent prices, but then that would be a challenge as it may lead to low occupancy rates, if tenants’ incomes do not increase in tandem.

An acre of land, in Kilimani for instance, one of the most prime neighborhoods, costs between Kshs 300 Million to 450 Million depending on exact location. If a developer was to buy at such a price, how long would it take to recover their investment with the average four floors of units?

New construction technologies

In addition to increasing land values, construction technologies have also improved significantly. More contractors now have the resources and capacity to stack floors on apartments skillfully. Some developers are opting to use reinforced concrete, instead of traditional masonry stones which are time consuming and labor intensive.

With improved construction technologies, developers can cut down on construction time and go higher up toward the skies.

Overall, prime real estate is like a snake which constantly sheds old skin. Looking at images of Nairobi from earlier decades, the city has evolved significantly and will continue to evolve as its population’s needs change and as construction technologies improve. In the meantime, there is only so much we can do to stop the change. The most you can do is accept that a high rise building is coming to your neighborhood.