13 Nairobi Old Estates to Be Demolished for High-Rise Units

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13 Nairobi Old Estates to Be Demolished for High-Rise Units

Nairobi County Government has announced a massive redevelopment plan for ageing estates, to provide modern housing for the city’s growing population.

Nairobi is in for a major housing overhaul after the county government confirmed several estates will be redeveloped under the Nairobi Urban Renewal Project. Officials say the current state of housing cannot sustain the city’s ballooning population which now swells to over 7 million people during the day.

Chief Officer for Housing and Urban Renewal Lydia Mathia said it’s not a matter of choice but necessity. “When these estates were built, Nairobi had less than one million residents,” she said. “We’re now dealing with numbers never imagined when the city’s foundation was laid. If we don’t act now, the crisis will only deepen.”

Estates to be Redeveloped

The estates to be redeveloped are Woodley, Bahati, Maringo, Jericho, Lumumba, Ziwani, Bondeni, Kariobangi and Embakasi. Most of these areas were built over 50 years ago and the county says their current structures cannot meet today’s housing needs.

The project will replace low density houses with high rise apartments that can accommodate thousands of people at once. For example in Woodley estate, 43 bungalows that currently house less than 100 people will be demolished. In their place the county will build 1,975 modern units.

Support for Tenants

To address fears of displacement, the county government has assured tenants of compensation and ownership. Each household will get Ksh900,000 in relocation support as well as a legally binding allotment letter guaranteeing them a unit once construction is complete.

Mathia said the programme is fair. “We are not pushing people out. We’re pulling them forward. The transformation must be inclusive and just,” she said in response to criticism from groups who have described the initiative as ‘forceful eviction’.

Timeline and Outlook

Construction of the new units will take two to three years. Once complete the redeveloped estates will significantly increase Nairobi’s housing capacity. Projections suggest the city’s population will hit 10 million by 2050, so the project is urgent.The county government announced the plan on its website and has already started public forums to engage stakeholders. The administration says it’s to provide decent and affordable housing for all Nairobians and to modernise the ageing estates.

If done, this will be one of the biggest changes in the city in decades.

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13 Nairobi Old Estates to Be Demolished for High-Rise Units