There was a time when land around parts of Nairobi was so abundant that today's property prices would have sounded almost unbelievable. When I first came to Nairobi in the mid-1990s, I remember seeing stretches of bush and undeveloped land around areas such as Umoja and Kayole. Nairobi had already grown considerably, but the city had not yet consumed everything around it. Today, owning a...

Nairobi is changing in ways that are sometimes easier to see through major construction projects, institutional investments and infrastructure plans than through property advertisements. One of the latest developments is taking place in Gigiri, where the Kenyan government is seeking land to construct a new office complex for its Permanent Missions to the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), UNEP...

When a family buys a home, the decision is often based on the life they are living at that moment. There may be young children who need bedrooms. There may be grandparents who visit regularly. There may be relatives who stay over during holidays. There may be plans for more children in the future. The house is therefore designed around a busy family life. But children do not remain children...

Buying a home is supposed to be one of life's most reassuring milestones. You find a property. You inspect it. You imagine your children growing up there. You calculate the mortgage or payment plan. You picture the day you finally receive the keys and walk through the front door knowing that the house is yours. But what happens when the home you worked so hard to acquire suddenly becomes a source of...

When people begin looking for a home, much of the conversation is about measurements, prices, floor plans, bedrooms, bathrooms, parking spaces and location. Buyers compare one property with another, study layouts and calculate whether the numbers make financial sense. But years later, many homeowners may remember something very different. They may remember the day they received their keys. They...

Nairobi’s historic selection as the host city for the 2029 World Athletics Championships—making Kenya the first African nation to stage the senior global event—is being celebrated as a crowning sporting achievement. However, beneath the national pride and global media focus lies a far more enduring story: the structural transformation of the Nairobi Metropolitan real estate sector. For property...

When buying a home, it is natural to think about the life you are living today. You may be looking for an extra bedroom because you have young children. You may want a spacious compound because your family enjoys spending time outdoors. You may need a home office because you work remotely. Or perhaps you simply want a comfortable place where your family can settle down. But there is another question...

What the Magadi dispute reveals about land tenure, property rights, land rates and the questions every Kenyan buyer should ask before investing. The ongoing dispute involving Tata Chemicals Magadi, the national government and Kajiado County has drawn attention to the value of land, mineral resources, historical leases and the obligations attached to property rights. For ordinary Kenyans, however,...

When searching for gated community homes in Kenya, buyers often begin with the number of bedrooms, the size of the house, the finishes and the asking price. These are important considerations, but they do not tell the whole story. A home can have beautiful interiors and still feel inconvenient once everyday life begins. Sometimes, the difference is found outside the house—in the compound. The...

The share of commercial banks in Kenya expecting non-performing loans (NPLs) in the real estate sector to rise over the coming quarter nearly doubled in the second quarter of 2026—climbing to 27% in June from 14% in March. The sharp shift, detailed in the Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) latest Credit Officer Survey Report, highlights growing caution among credit risk teams despite broader improvements...