We need to talk about the absurd prices of rent in Nairobi

Are you people noticing how absurdly high the cost of rent is getting nowadays? Mediocre flats with ugly fittings, and terrible finishes are going for prices sometimes North of Ksh 20,000 depending on where you look. The only option now is to move farther away from Nairobi CBD or even outside the county to be able to find an affordable place e.g Athi River, Rongai, Juja, Kinoo, etc Which are cheaper, but might be an inconvenience because of the commute you’d have to make everyday to and from work.

I think the government should step in and put rules and regulations prevention landlords from taking advantage e.g the amount of rent being asked for be dictated by the location, yes, but also the square footage of the house/flat/apartment. A 600 sq ft flat can’t exceed Ksh 15,000, a 1000 square foot flat can’t exceed Ksh 30,000 etc

I’m confident that there’s people here who have opinions on this, I want to hear them, let’s have a discussion.

unapanga kutuambia hizii mara ngapi Meffi hama ishii kwako

Market forces mjamaa, kuna 3br flats in Ngong that are 65k na zona watu, you want the government to tell those tenants that they are waisting their money, then what next, waambie @uwesmake he can only drink one mzinga a month?
Government should try come up with measures that encourage more Dev. of lowly priced houses, sio price controls

I have not done economics, but what i know is about “demand and supply” there are guys who will pay 30k fr that kaflat.

Build more roads, improve the availability of amenities…
Weka gari la moshi yenye itapeleka watu to remote areas

Kataza kujenga apartments sehemu kuna private residential areas.
Expand and create small towns…

In other words improve the supply of houses na price zita punguka

My problem is not rent per se but how they charge for some rooms.You will find a 1 bedroom house,Sitting room can’t fit a 3 seater sofa let alone the recommended 6 seater.Bedroom can only fit the bed leaving a verh limited room for leg space and other nocturnal activities,kitchen hamuwezi kuwa wawili at at the same time,choo ndio bafu lets not even talk of the aeration.Then landlord anajipiga kifua ati 20k per month.There should be standards observed while constructing these houses

Thank you, that’s one idea, I agree with you

you shouldn’t complain of rent in Nairobi if you haven’t lived in Dubai. The houses we leave in here in Nairobi are simply out of reach for most people there. What you pay for is ur bed which will cost as high as 25k/ month for the lower bunk beds and 18k/month for the upper bunk beds.

That’s a great idea, adds on what @shocks said, this is the informative information I was looking for.
With all this cheap land available on the outskirts of the county, the government can itself purchase land and build, or offer incentives for people to go and purchase land and build low cost housing by e.g offering low interest loans to them

The landlord can confidently ask for such a price coz he knows there’s desperate and frustrated people out there and even people with low standards who don’t mind/complain when they’re handed a shit deal that are more than willing to pay such prices.

I’ve heard about Dubai where you basicallyhave to live with other people in a tiny apartment coz the rent is impossible to pay if you’re on your own, but that’s Dubai and we’re talking about Kenya

Hizo bedspace ni za ma low paid immigrants …emraitis wanaishi in a decent houses…

Kenya tuko na space na uwezo wakuishi in cheap good houses especially sehemu zingine za kenya zikieza panuliwa

mliambiwa mpigie BABA kura atapunguza rent mkakataa. ati oh, who is BABA to reduce rent… oh sijui does BABA own any houses…

umieni na tano tena yenu. brarre.

I went to Ruaka the other day and my god the houses there are expensive. Was so shocked. A house going for 20-25k is so poorly built. But one thing I learnt is that we as Kenyans have low standards.

Exactly, poorly built piece of shit apartments, and you still find a waiting list of people willing to move into it, it’s shocking. Low standards is even an understatement. Enda eastlands, specifically Umoja, you’ll see wonders :D:D

Hapa ni ukweli…low standards have become the norm

Nice observation.If you went further to look for thoose considered upto standard,you need not to ask their pricing…most of them are still 70% empty

Usilete politics hapa, lakini ukona point, watu walikataa kupigia baba kura ni kama hawajui tukiumia, tunaumia sisi sote. So hii shida ya rent na vitu zingine si watu wa Baba wanaumia peke yao, pia watu wa Uhuru, na siku moja watatambua…

Govt can’t regulate price of commodities and services but can regulate the quality. Nairobi need solve this traffic jam problem and people won’t have to live near cbd.

Na bado…kenya’s population is out of control which puts pressure on housing availability thereby skyrocketing rent costs. The government can’t put price controls because we are not a communist country. Now imagine with the open border policy how things will get. I have a cousin who was constructing houses in ruiru , one evening some guy and his wife approached him. They were Egyptians looking to rent his incomplete apartments and eventually become Kenyans with name change kila kitu. They had fallen in love with Kenya and vowed never to return to Egypt. Before my cousin was done building his (basic) high rise apartments they were already half booked by interested tenants.