We Built This Community: Nairobi Residents Fight to Have a Say in Housing Plans

The notice arrived on a Tuesday morning, pinned to a lamppost on Ngong Road: a proposal for a mixed-use development that would reshape the Kilimani neighbourhood. For residents of the surrounding area who have lived there for decades, it was the first they were hearing about plans that could fundamentally alter their streets, their rents, and their sense of home.

"They come with their architects and their blueprints, and we are just supposed to accept it," said one long-time Kilimani resident during a community gathering at the Nairobi Bar Association last week. The sentiment echoed across the room—a room filled with people whose stories reflect a broader tension in Nairobi's rapid expansion.

Kenya's capital has been undergoing dramatic transformation. According to the Nairobi City County integrated development plan, housing demand stands at approximately 200,000 units annually, yet the city produces barely 50,000. Developers have moved aggressively into middle-income neighbourhoods, acquiring parcels on Hurlingham Road, Karura Forest edges, and throughout Westlands, where average land prices have jumped from 15 million shillings per half-acre in 2020 to over 45 million today.

The pace has left residents feeling like passengers in their own city. In Eastleigh, where informal settlements neighbour new commercial towers, community leaders describe feeling frozen out of planning consultations. "We're told there will be 'stakeholder engagement,' but by the time residents are asked, the decisions are already made," noted one representative from the Eastleigh Community Development Association.

The challenge extends beyond consultation. Housing affordability has become critical. While developers build luxury units commanding 15-25 million shillings, families earning middle-class incomes find themselves priced out of their own neighbourhoods. A two-bedroom apartment in Kilimani that rented for 60,000 shillings five years ago now commands 120,000 or more.

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services and the county government have announced new housing frameworks, but residents say meaningful community participation remains elusive. "Urban planning cannot happen to us—it must happen with us," insisted another community advocate at the same gathering.

As Nairobi continues its expansion—with projects like the Nairobi Central Business District revamp and satellite towns in Ruai and Embakasi—the question persists: will the city's poorest and longest-standing residents have genuine influence over their future, or will growth remain something that simply happens around them?

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