How Nairobi’s leafy suburbs became crowded blocks

Apartments

Residential apartment blocks in Kileleshwa, Nairobi on May 21, 2026.

Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation

Every few months in Nairobi's upscale neighbourhoods of Kilimani, Kileleshwa and Lavington, an old bungalow disappears behind corrugated iron sheets as construction cranes move in to build yet another apartment block.

Today, balconies overlook neighbouring balconies, while some windows stare directly into living rooms across only a few metres of separation. Yet many of these developments are still marketed as offering "exclusive living".

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