"They're erasing us": Residents push back against Nairobi's latest urban renewal plan

When the Nairobi City County announced its revised urban densification strategy last month, residents of Eastleigh and parts of Kasarani learned their neighbourhoods would be transformed—not from officials, but from WhatsApp groups and social media posts.

"Nobody came to ask us anything," says a shopkeeper near Fifth Avenue in Eastleigh, who has operated his business for 18 years. "The first we heard was when contractors started surveying land near Juja Road."

The plan, unveiled by the county's housing and urban development directorate, targets mixed-income residential zones across the city, with particular focus on areas currently zoned for low-density housing. According to county documents obtained by The Daily Nairobi, the initiative aims to accommodate an additional 500,000 residents by 2030—a response to Nairobi's estimated housing deficit of 200,000 units annually.

Yet community leaders argue the approach prioritises investor interests over resident welfare. In Kasarani, where two-bedroom apartments currently rent for 25,000-35,000 shillings monthly, residents fear displacement as land values surge. "Developers are already approaching homeowners with buyout offers," explains James Kipchoge, chair of the Kasarani Residents Association. "If people refuse, what happens to them when the bulldozers arrive?"

The county estimates that 40 percent of existing structures in designated zones do not comply with current building codes—a technical justification for accelerated redevelopment. However, residents argue this creates artificial urgency. "Our houses are homes, not violations," one Eastleigh resident stated during a tense community meeting at the Nairobi City Council chambers on June 15.

The World Bank's 2024 Nairobi housing assessment flagged inadequate community consultation as a critical governance gap in previous urban renewal projects. Several residents referenced the contested Nairobi Central Business District regeneration, where informal traders were relocated with minimal compensation.

County officials maintain the plan includes affordable housing quotas—25 percent of new units must be priced below 15,000 shillings monthly. Community representatives remain skeptical. "We've heard these promises before," says a grassroots organiser working with informal settlement groups along Ngara Road.

The county has announced additional public hearings for July, though many residents question whether genuine dialogue is possible when surveying has already begun. As Nairobi grapples with genuine housing shortages, the tension between development urgency and community rights remains unresolved—and the voices of those already calling these neighbourhoods home are demanding amplification.

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