The allure of townhouses in Kenya’s real estate market

Rosslyn Springs. Town houses are a common features in gated communities. [PHOTOS: PETER MUIRURI / STANDARD]

NAIROBI: The luxury real estate market in Kenya has made great strides in recent years with a number of developers building more mansions and townhouses. This despite a report by the Kenya Bankers Association suggesting that apartments sell faster.

Townhouses are typically multi-level units adjacent to each other, so there are no people living above or below, resulting in less noise and more privacy.

All unit owners get an ownership interest in the common areas, or shared features giving them the legal right to use the facilities.

Such homes make a perfect middle ground between a detached, single-home unit and a fully-fledged apartment, and have become common features in gated communities.

POPULAR AREAS

Taking a good piece of this pie are the Nairobi upmarket suburbs of Runda, Rosslyn, Gigiri, Kitisuru and Karen. On the other hand, the upsurge of apartments is seen in city suburbs such as Kilimani, Lavington, Kileleshwa and Westlands where townhouses once reigned supreme.

According to a recent survey by property portal Lamudi Kenya, commuter towns within the Nairobi metropolis are fast growing as a result of the upsurge of homes and businesses in the peripheries of the central business district.

“Infrastructure developments around Nairobi have led to a property boom on the outskirts of the city, prompting an exodus of people from the city centre in search of property further afield,” states the report.

Take the case of Rosslyn, an exclusive neighbourhood and one of the most prime suburbs of Nairobi housing expatriates and diplomatic corps. Owning a home in one of the most secure spots in the city is no mean feat.

The latest addition to the townhouse collection here is Rosslyn Springs, a housing development by energy generator KenGen.

It consists of four-bedroom townhouses lying in a countryside setting but enjoying the conveniences of urban living. The units, on  quarter an acre each, come at a price, ranging from Sh70 million to Sh84 million for buyers; while renters can pay up to Sh500,000 per month.

Like many new developments on the outskirts of the city, this development rides on its proximity to the Northern Bypass as well as the proposed link road from Waiyaki Way.

Homes in this neighbourhood command high rental or sales prices buoyed by the nearby United Nations Office, the Unites States Embassy and Canadian High Commission.

Village Market and Tribe Hotel are within walking distance. The development of Riviera Mall and Two Rivers is expected to push the value of nearby property upwards.

REFINED TASTES

“This area is zoned for such townhouses. This means your neighbour cannot pull a fast one on you by building multiple-storey apartments and keep sneaking glances on you and your property,” says Daniel Ojijo, Founder and CEO, Homes Universal Limited.

According to Mr Ojijo, Kenya’s economy is being driven by the middle to upper-middle class that need housing that meets the standards of their rising status.

“This group has finer taste, is very discerning and craves convenience and security. Private developers have responded to these needs as well as the rising foreign investor interest in Nairobi where high-net-worth individuals are seeking to buy luxurious homes in prime areas of the city,” he says.

ATTRACTION

According to the Lamudi report, the allure of townhouses stems from the fact that people are relocating to satellite towns within the metropolis of Nairobi, areas that were previously considered too far for Nairobi’s working class.

However, the fortunes of the ever-expanding middle-class with improved purchasing power continue to grow to match upmarket locations such as Runda, Muthaiga, Gigiri and Karen.

As a result, areas such as Athi River and Kitengela on Mombasa Road, Thika and Ruiru on the Thika Superhighway, Kiambu, Kikuyu and Ruaka are on an upward trajectory.

“Property in these areas now retails at Sh11 million on average for a three-bedroom townhouse, a 10 per cent increase from the last quarter of 2014,” states Lamudi.

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