This archive report was first published on 5 October 2019.
As Nairobi's population continues to swell, the city's real estate sector is facing a pressing challenge: finding affordable land to develop. According to a recent report by Cytonn, the nationwide housing deficit stands at 4.5 million units, with the demand for live-work-play lifestyles and master-planned communities on the rise.
One solution to this problem is vertical building, where developers construct high-rise buildings to maximize on available land. This concept is gaining traction in Nairobi, with several projects already underway. One such project is a 44-storey residential building planned for Upper Hill by US company Lordship Africa.
Lordship Africa's chairman, Jonathan Jackson, has announced plans to invest four billion shillings in the project, which is expected to be completed in three years. The project has set the pace for other developers eyeing Nairobi for real estate investments, with areas such as Kiambu and Machakos counties becoming hotspots for master-planned communities.
Building vertically is deemed a solution to meet the needs of people who cannot afford to relocate to Nairobi's satellite towns due to easier access to social amenities such as healthcare services, restaurants, schools, and shopping malls. With land prices skyrocketing, developers are turning to air rights to build upwards, providing a much-needed solution to the city's housing crisis.
