Why elite clubs struggle to draw young Kenyans

Today, as some of the clubs mark a century of existence, there is the burning question of whether they are locking out the youthful populations through their pricing policies and the rules of engagement.

“There are some clubs where most people are old generation and the young men have not come in,” says Mr Felix Okatch, one of the directors at the United Kenya Club.

Mr Okatch, who has been a member of one club or another since 1983, says clubs should make it conducive for young people to join as they form the majority of the population.

“I encourage young men to join, particularly those who have started business,” Mr Okatch notes.

Private member clubs, which are designed to be a confluence point for the wealthy, exist for various reasons.

“One benefit is social, where people of a class come together — those who are capable or the top cream,” says Mr Okatch, who is also an author.

“Over time, these clubs have developed facilities like golf, squash, cricket, lawn tennis, swimming pool, gym, and many more activities. The clubs also have bars, restaurants, accommodation, and some have apartments.”

The clubs also help businesspeople as they can be used to host crucial meetings.

“You come with a car, you park, then you secure a deal,” says Mr Okatch.

Another benefit is that a member of a club in one part of Kenya can travel to another part of the country and enjoy benefits of another club if the two have a reciprocating arrangement.

“If somebody’s in Eldoret Club, he can go to Nyanza Club, to Nyeri Club, Mombasa Club, Kitale Club, and enjoy like the other [members],” says Mr Okatch.

The clubs are also known for the strict rules they enforce. There are guidelines on the dress code, conduct within the premises, welcoming guests, among others.

In a number of the clubs, making a phone call in some spaces can earn someone a fine. Some do not permit wearing a cap in some areas while others prohibit donning denim clothing. A collarless T-shirt is hardly allowed in most clubs, as are sandals.

A recently determined court case, pitting lawyer Donald Kipkorir against the Muthaiga Country Club, revealed how stringent some of the requirements can be. Mr Kipkorir was denied entry at the club in August 2024 on various grounds.

Mr Kipkorir later sued the club, saying the manner in which he had been turned away went against his right to dignity as no sufficient explanation was given.

The court heard that the lawyer visited the premises to meet his clients who are members of the club. However, on that day, he was denied entry. The club argued that it reserved the right of admission, noting that even though its more than 6,500 members are free to invite guests, its by-laws prohibit admission of non-members who are not in reciprocating clubs.

The club said an earlier incident in October 2022, where the lawyer was also denied entry but later allowed in, informed their decision.

Mr Kipkorir said he was treated “like a stray dog, a homeless hound that had trespassed on the hallowed grounds of the privileged elite”. A Nairobi court agreed with the lawyer’s arguments and awarded him Sh1 million in damages.

With strictly enforced laws and an old guard not willing to depart from the traditional way of doing things, younger Kenyans in the private clubs ecosystem have sometimes been dismissed as lowering the standards. A former chairman of a private club who spoke with Nation Lifestyle held this view, though he did not wish to share his remarks on record.

We spoke to Jessy Ndegwa, the chairman of the Ruiru Sports Club, and asked him: “Is your club doing enough to attract younger members?”
He was candid enough to admit that there are no products targeting youth of 35 and below.

“However, this being a family-oriented club, we have conversions from junior members to single members. And we have a lot of those. When you have a family [package], the club allows your children to transition to single membership after 25 years. So, what we have, we don’t let go of. We encourage them to graduate and take responsibility for their own membership,” he says.

Graduating junior members to the senior category after the age of 25 is a common phenomenon in private member clubs across the country. The Wadi Degla clubs-Kenya, a recent entrant in the space, also considers 25 as the age when junior membership ends.

“They will only pay a subscription [upon converting to single members]. They will not pay entry fees,” says Mr Ndegwa.

To obtain family membership at the Ruiru club, one needs to pay Sh600,000. To become an individual member, on the other hand, one needs to pay Sh450,000. On top of the membership fee, a member of Ruiru Sports Club should pay an annual subscription fee of Sh24,000 for the family package and Sh16,000 for the individual package.

That isn’t too far from what other clubs charge. As per the last published rates online, the Royal Nairobi Golf Club that has been in existence since 1906 charges a joining fee of Sh595,000 and an annual subscription of Sh61,460.

The Parklands Sports Club, which will be 120 years old next year, charges a full member admission fee of Sh775,000.

The United Kenya Club, on the other hand, charges Sh150,000 to admit a member living in the city, with a Sh20,000 annual subscription required.

Asked whether the fees are too high to discourage younger Kenyans, Mr Ndegwa says: “True and not true.”

He notes that besides the option of juniors graduating to full members after their 25th birthdays, there are occasional membership discounts that prospective signees can grab.

“Sometimes we have [recruitment] drives. So, for those who want to join and they do not have resources right now, I encourage them to keep looking out for when we have drives. And during drives, sometimes we give up to 50 percent of the classes that we present to potential members,” he says.

A top contributor to younger Kenyans joining private clubs is the fact that some corporates have been buying membership for some of their staff.

Mr Okatch, who is a marketer by profession, joined his first club because his employer paid for it.

“The aim then was for me to meet people who matter in business circles. In the club, there was encouragement for me to play golf as my children were busy enjoying swimming and other things,” he says.

The United Kenya Club, where he is a director, has a package for corporate membership where a company can pay Sh650,000 to admit up to five employees. This is followed by an annual subscription of Sh100,000 for the members.

The thinking behind some employers getting their staff in such clubs, he says, is to give them access to potential clients.

“It’s not to sell your product, but to meet the who-is-who. It opens ways for you to get into the marketing field,” argues Mr Okatch. “Corporate organisations can pay for their members up to Sh1 million…because you meet those who matter.”

Dr Mike Iravo, a specialist in human resources management and a lecturer at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, says there are many benefits that an employer gets from buying club membership for an employee.

He adds that such an arrangement can improve "productivity, motivation, among many other things that an individual employee would benefit [from]”.

Asked what portion among the 2,800 members of Ruiru Sports Club were brought in by corporates, Mr Ndegwa says there is less than five percent. He attributes this to the fact that Ruiru has not been widely known.

“Ruiru, until recently, was not known in the circles of clubs. The clubs that were known were Muthaiga, Karen, Limuru, and Sigona,” he says, noting that the club – which sits on 235 acres of land – is currently on a rapid expansion drive, driven by a 45-year masterplan.

The benefit a corporate gets by buying club membership for staff, Mr Ndegwa says, is that it gets ready buyers.

“Being a member, knowing that you are going to interact with these people day in, day out, every other week, gives you an opportunity for people whom you would not have spoken to if you met in the streets just like that. But in the evening here, if you join a table, you join as a member and it is very easy to start a conversation. And they already trust you and you already trust each other,” says Mr Ndegwa.

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