Nairobi County has the highest number of registered voters as compared to other counties. Being a cosmopolitan city, at least every community in Kenya has members in the populous city. Nairobi County is strategic as it controls the economy of Kenya. According to Infotrak opinion polls, Raila Odinga enjoys massive support in the county as compared to his main competitor DP William Ruto. We want to look at how August polls will impact the real estate market in Nairobi.
Facts about Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and the largest city in East Africa. As of 2019, its population was over 4.3 million people. Originally a railway depot in 1899, the city took its current name from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to “cool water”, a reference to the Nairobi River that runs through it. Today, Nairobi’s skyline is dominated by modern high-rise buildings and is a tourism and trade hub for East Africa. It is one of the leading cities in Africa and even more influential than its neighboring cities.
Places to visit in Nairobi
Nairobi has several tourist attraction sites. Nairobi is the only city in the world with a national park. Some of the best places to visit in Nairobi include:
- Nairobi National Park
- David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
- Giraffe Centre
- Karura National Reserve
- Karen Blixen Museum
- Nairobi National Museum
- Bomas of Kenya
- Kazuri Beads Factory Tour
- Kenyatta International Conference Centre
- Ngong Hills
- Railway Museum
- National Archives
Nairobi City
Nairobi is the principal industrial center of Kenya. The railways are one of the largest employers in the county, as are light-manufacturing industries that produce beverages, cigarettes, and processed food. Tourism is also important; Nairobi is located near eastern Africa’s agricultural heartland, and several primary products are routed through the city before being exported via Mombasa. In addition to serving as headquarters for important regional railways and harbors corporations, Nairobi plays an important role in the community of eastern African states; it is also home to Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), which is responsible for operating all passenger rail services in Kenya and managing some freight trains as well.
Estates in Nairobi
There is a very high population in Nairobi which has resulted in great pressure on land. The real estate market in Nairobi in terms of residential property is characterized by high, medium, and low-income residential zones.
Some of the high-income residential zones in Nairobi include:
- Muthaiga
- Runda
- Karen
- Gigiri
- Kitisuru
- Lavington
- Nyari
Some of the middle-income residential zones include Kilimani, Ridgeways, Parklands, and some parts of Westlands.
Low-income residential zones constitute the highest portion of the city’s population. There are many informal settlements in Nairobi. Some of the low-income residential zones in Nairobi include:
- Kibera
- Mathare
- Kawangware
- Pipeline
- Mukuru Kwa Njenga
- Eastleigh
- Dandora
- Kayole
Real estate market in Nairobi
The real estate sector is among the biggest contributor to the city’s GDP. Nairobi’s construction and real estate sector is one of the fastest growing in the world. Government investment in public infrastructure development projects and the real estate sector are generally attributed to the growth (road, rail, energy, port, and airport modernization). This growth is being driven by; Infrastructure improvements such as the Nairobi Expressway; utility connections; airport upgrades; stable GDP growth of 5.4 percent over the last five years compared to a Sub-Saharan average of 4.1 percent; and demographic trends such as rapid urbanization of 4.4 percent per year compared with world’s 2.5 percent population growth rate.
Regarding the upcoming polls, Nairobians expect a spike in spending by outgoing government officials, who are trying to deliver on their development promises. However, with trends indicating that this money circulates within mostly infrastructure projects, steering off the Real Estate investments and Business sectors, overall this reduces the purchasing power of Kenyan property buyers and renters who are then likely to postpone their property seeking activities until after the elections. Property seekers will also reduce the occupancy rates in areas prone to pre and post-election disruptions as they increasingly avoid them towards the August 9th election date.
Hotels in Nairobi
Nairobi City has some of the best hotels not only in Kenya but also in East Africa. Some of the best hotel accommodation facilities in Nairobi include:
- Trademark Hotel
- The Social House Nairobi
- Ibis Styles Hotel Westlands
- Crowne Plaza, Nairobi Airport
- Movenpick Hotel and residences
- Villa Rosa Kempinski
- Intercontinental Hotel
- Palacina Residence and Suites
Roads in Nairobi
Nairobi City County has the best road network in Kenya and the entire East African region. Traffic congestion is still a major problem on the city’s roads. This is a list of bypass highways in Nairobi, aimed at redirecting traffic away from the city center, thereby de-congesting the city and alleviating the perennial traffic jams.
- Nairobi Northern Bypass Highway, linking Limuru to Thika Road
- Nairobi Eastern Bypass Highway, linking Nairobi-Mombasa Road to Ruiru-Kiambu near Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
- Nairobi Southern Bypass Highway, which starts at the junction of the Nairobi- Mombasa Road and Likoni Road, approximately 10 km southeast of the city center.
- Nairobi Western Bypass Highway, connects Gitaru, on the Southern Bypass to Ruaka on the Northern Bypass.
The Construction Sector in Nairobi
Nairobi has had to keep pace with the infrastructure, housing, and general urban living demands of an increasingly middle-class and global city. It is no surprise that it’s struggling to keep up with the pace of demand from all its new citizens. The lack of a long-term vision for the city hindered planning in the past, meaning much of the needed infrastructure went in ad hoc resulting in some of the biggest slums in Africa. More recently however there has been a concerted effort to coordinate planning and maximize benefits from investments in the city. The Nairobi City Master Plan was devised for this reason and is being used to direct investment towards areas most in need, notably transport and social housing. As developments fly up, construction activity has seen strength as well; residential construction is particularly strong because so many people are moving into this growing city.
Conclusion
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