The Rise and Rise of Kilimani
Kilimani is the Swahili word for “At the Hill”. And how appropriate, as this is where the Colonialists chose to build Government House, the original name given to one of the most prominent symbols of our republic: State House.
Kilimani is also home to the Kenya Defense Force’s Headquarters, as well as hosting the Embassies of China, Nigeria, Russia, Somalia and Iran. Above all this, though, Kilimani is fast becoming a symbol of the burgeoning middle class, an area of Nairobi that is changing beyond recognition.
Kilimani is a predominantly residential area whose name has connotations of subtle affluence, of understated wealth and high society. Yet unlike other affluent areas of the city, Kilimani is a vibrant and inclusive suburb, with shopping malls, hospitals, bank branches and excellent schools.
With all this, it is easy to pinpoint the reasons behind the spectacular development of this area of Nairobi in the last 20 or so years. The rise of the middle class in this country (one of the largest growing middle classes in the developing world) has been synchronous with the change in Kilimani from stodgy colonial era suburb to a booming multi-cultural melting pot.
When State House was built in Kilimani in 1907, the immediate impact on the area was a significant rise in the prestige of residing close to the annals of power. Kilimani, bordered by Kileleshwa to the north, Lavington to the west and The Royal Nairobi Golf Club to the south, showed evidence that the policy at the time encouraged the Caucasian community to gravitate toward the seat of government, where they would find security and comfort in numbers.
After independence, the policy did not change, only the race of those seeking proximity to power. This meant that Kilimani’s status as an affluent neighbourhood, owed more to the positions of its inhabitants than to the grandiosity of their homes.
In 2004, rates for the average 3 bedroomed semi detached house in Kilimani were somewhere between 30,000 – 45,000 KSh per month. Today, they are between 80,000 – 120,000, a rise of upto 75%. This is not congruent with the rate of inflation, which since 2004 has gone up 10%.
A decade and a half ago, Hurlingham consisted of a small ex-pat community and the relatively small population of the wider Kilimani area. Very few properties were listed for sale, fewer still for rent. This all changed when the Kibaki government came into power in 2003 and foreign donor confidence began to increase in Kenya. The closeness to the CBD, the quiet and green environs, and the relative security afforded by the proximity to State House and the Department of Defense (D.O.D) meant that it suddenly became a lucrative area to invest in property in. Within five years; the number of apartment blocks in Kilimani had doubled.
When then roads minister Raila Odinga developed an ambitious plan to reduce traffic jams in the CBD and increase access to greater Nairobi by the construction of by-pass roads around the city, his demand that the hundreds of properties that lay along its proposed path be destroyed were met with panic. Homeowners were afraid that they would have to pay to bring down their own homes and many decided the best course was to sell. Kilimani lay smack in the centre of the bypass’ proposed path and therefore the disruptions this caused led to a massive and rapid turnover of property.
The completion of the initially much-maligned Bypass Road project has meant that suddenly the area is immune from the crippling traffic jams that characterize commuting in the rest of the city. The wide expanses of newly laid tarmac and the luxury high rise apartments, lend a whole new look to Kilimani, the feel of a futuristic, high speed suburb.
More recently, the election of business friendly Dr. Evans Kidero as the Governor of Nairobi, saw a renewed interest in the development of more luxury apartment blocks and exclusive gated communities. The old bungalows and their manicured gardens are now becoming high-rise luxury towers with crystal blue swimming pools. The average cost of property is mainly tagged to the unique marriage of prestige and convenience, meaning that while the average 2 bedroom apartment now rents at 80,000 – 100,000 Kenya Shillings per month, one can expect that cost to rise by somewhere between 15% - 30% in the next five years.
Expect the cost of property to double within the next fifty years…
