Work begins on the tallest skyscraper in Africa

The mighty peaks of Kilimanjaro and Kenya are the highest points in Africa, towering over the East Coast nations. The mountains will soon be sharing a skyline with a man-made behemoth named simply: "The Pinnacle."

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta recently laid the foundation stone for what will be the tallest building in Africa in the Upper Hill neighborhood of Nairobi. Construction is underway at the development site, and slated for completion by December 2019. READ MORE: edition.cnn.com

Iconic $110 Million Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill Marks Hilton Hotels & Resorts’ 50th Property in Africa.  
Hilton has signed a management agreement with Jabavu Village Ltd to open a 255 guest-room and suite hotel in Kenya's capital. The hotel is set to open in 2020 and joins 50 Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties trading or under development in 17 countries across Africa.  FULL STORY: newsroom.hilton.com

PROJECT'S FACTS & FIGURES

Nairobi City County Assembly Adopts Non Motorized Transport Policy

The Nairobi City County Assembly has adopted the Non Motorized Transport (NMT) Policy whose objective is to provide a framework for harmonization, prioritization and coordination of NMT infrastructure, facility development and maintenance in Nairobi.

The policy, whose formulation was championed by Kara in partnership with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other key stakeholders in the transport sector, was officially handed over to the County Executive in March 2015. Since then, the County Executive and Kara have been working very closely to have the policy adopted by the County Assembly.

http://www.kara.or.ke/index.php/2015-01-22-08-51-09/kara-news/254-transport-nairobi-city-county-assembly-adopts-non-motorized-transport-policy?platform=hootsuite

Tatu City appoints firm to plan for power supply

A multi-million satellite complex Tatu City, has announced that it had appointed US-based firm Power Engineers Inc to plan on power infrastructure for use within the industrial complex. Power Engineers is one of the largest consulting engineering firms in the United States

Tatu City management said that The Power Engineers Inc is well suited for the job having worked with clients such as the World Bank, US Trade and Development Agency and Inter-American Development Bank. read more: constructionreviewonline.com

Rise of the Innovation-Oriented City

City Momentum Index
The current cycle of globalisation, urbanisation and technological advancement is leading to a shake-up of the global urban hierarchy and creating sweeping changes to the geography of commercial real estate opportunity.

In this new era of city competition, success is no longer purely about size or inherited attributes, but revolves around innovation, liveability and a city’s ability to transform and adapt to a constantly changing socio-economic landscape.

JLL’s City Momentum Index (CMI), now in its third year, tracks the speed of change of a city’s economy and commercial real estate market, identifying those cities which have the most dynamic urban economies and are adapting most rapidly to the imperatives of technological and infrastructural transformation.

Key Highlights of 2016
Nairobi’s (11th) impressive demographic and economic momentum is necessitating the creation of infrastructure and real estate to support the city’s expansion as it registers among the highest levels of office and retail construction and  absorption of any city in the CMI. Nairobi is also pushing to become the centre of technology in Africa, with a growing number of tech incubators and venture capital funds opening in the city. The start of construction on Konza Techno City, an innovation hub including space for higher education and technology firms, is laying a solid foundation for the future.

2016 Index
2015 Index
2014 Index
More on Jones Rang Lasalle research

Building Kenya's giant new shopping mall

Now countries like Kenya are pinning their hopes on achieving a great leap forward in development by following China's model.

Big Chinese loans have enabled them to forge ahead with massive infrastructure projects.

More money is expected - African heads of state meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at a big summit in Johannesburg on Friday where billions of dollars in extra assistance are on the table.

And construction is already under way in Nairobi on the biggest shopping mall in sub-Saharan Africa, another Chinese venture. see video: BBC's Karen Allen visited the site of the new mall.

New mall set to change how Kisumu shops

A Sh2.5billion shopping mall whose construction is near completion, will soon be part and parcel of the middle class lifestyle in Riat Hills, Kisumu.

Located conveniently at Mamboleo junction on the Kisumu-Kakamega highway, the mall which is being constructed by the Lake Basin Development Authority, is expected to be the largest of its kind in the region.
 

The 27,000 square metres building will be completed in August and will house a five-star hotel, a regional resource centre, more than 1,000 housing units as well as a complex consisting of three office blocks. This is besides serving as the headquarters of the Lake Basin Development in Kisumu.

According to the Lake Basin Commission chairman Onyango Oloo, the shopping centre is expected to revolutionise the shopping experience in the region. read more: http://mobile.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/New-mall-set-to-change-how-Kisumu-shops/-/1950774/2772450/-/format/xhtml/item/0/-/769dfh/-/index.html

Old Nairobi estates to pave way for 100,000 new houses

With the proposed development of 100,000 new housing units and renovation of existing homes, Nairobi is set for a major face-lift. Several regions of the capital have already been identified for the construction of the new houses. This redevelopment project will ride on the back of a County Comprehensive Urban Renewal Programme (ECURP), Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero says.

“It is in this spirit that we have identified seven quick win projects to serve as pilots to the ECURP. These are Old and New Ngara, Pangani, Jeevanjee/ Bachelors, Ngong Road Inspectorate staff quarters, Uhuru and Suna Road. Approximately 14,000 housing units will be developed in these areas through a joint venture approach,” Kidero told an investor’s forum recently. 
Read more: www.standardmedia.co.ke

New measures enforced to ease Nairobi jams

The Nairobi County Government has partnered with the Central Government in a Sh400 million initiative aimed at decongesting the Kenyan capital.

The plan includes elimination of roundabouts and replacing them with signalised junctions on the county’s main roads.

Speaking during the signing of the agreement on Monday, County Transport Executive Abdullahi Muhamed revealed that plans are underway to remove six roundabouts from Kangemi all the way to Mombasa road to eliminate obstruction which cause traffic jams.

He pointed out that there will be no right turns at the Westlands and Bunyala road intersections once the roundabouts are removed.

READ MORE: www.capitalfm.co.ke/news

Firm plans 387-acre housing estate in Limuru

A real estate firm is planning to turn a 387-acre piece of land near Limuru into a massive mixed-use estate, adding to other such developments planned for or under development in Kiambu County.

The plan by Red Coral Properties Limited will see 3,304 housing units put up on 172 acres of land and development of commercial and retail space done on 39 acres. Also in the scheme are 17 light industrial developments, mostly warehouses and logistics facilities. read more: www.businessdailyafrica.com

Tetra Tech signs US$25m contract for Phase 1 of Konza City

Tetra Tech Inc will oversee development of phase 1 of Konza city following the signing of a contract between them and Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA).

Colorado-based Tetra Tech was selected as the Master Delivery Partner 2 (MDP2) in the Kenya’s smart city construction project. Other partners in the MDP2 consortium are 11 firms from Netherlands, UAE, US, Germany and five firms hail from Kenya. read more: constructionreviewonline.com

New master plan for Nairobi

The failure to realise much of the old plan, combined with a need to plan a livable city for the estimated 5.2 million people that will live in the city by 2030, has led to the development of the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Master Plan (NIUPLAN), recently released in draft form. This plan seeks to integrate all existing sectoral plans in the city and align them to Vision 2030, providing a framework for coordinating urban development.

There is an urgency to implement the new planning guidelines, which address six specific areas: transportation; governance and institutions; environment; land use and human settlements; population, social systems and urban economy; and infrastructure. read more: www.urbanafrica.net/blogs/new-master-plan-nairobi/

Acorn Group injects US$455m into Real Estate

Acorn Group Africa, a real estate firm in Kenya is going to inject US$455m into a real estate project that will see the firm construct shopping malls, commercial offices, residential properties and commercial hotels in Nairobi, Lukenya and Kitengela. read more: constructionreviewonline.com

The iconic Britam Tower in Upper Hill, Nairobi’s financial hub, at an approximate cost of Kshs 7 billion. The 31-storey building is the flagship project of Britam’s property portfolio.  When completed in 2015, the tower is projected to be the tallest building in Kenya and the third tallest in Africa. This complex will feature a collection of wind turbines hung off a central spire. The turbines will generate power for some parts of the building and will be the symbol of the iconic building, making it a city landmark. Caption source: www.britam.co.ke

Kenya’s largest mall in the offing

Nairobi’s Runda estate will soon be home to Kenya’s largest shopping mall. This is after the NSE-listed investment company, Centum, revealed its plans to build the shopping mall on its 100-acre land in the the prestigious Runda, Gigiri, Muthaiga and Nyali neighbourhoods.

The, Two Rivers, shopping complex will occupy a total of 58,000m2 dethroning the upcoming Garden City mall along Thika Road at 50,000m2, which was poised to become East Africa’s biggest shopping mall. The shopping mall, which is set to open in October 2015, is part of a US$682.2m mixed-use real estate development being undertaken by Centum on its US$ 11.3m parcel of land. read more: constructionreviewonline.com/2014/05/28/kenyas-largest-mall-offing

Moi University to construct US$356m complex

Moi University has commissioned the construction of a US$356m, 26 storey complex in Eldoret town in western Kenya. The magnificent twin-tower building is being constructed next to Imperial Bank along Uganda Road and is expected to be the tallest and biggest building in the town.

According to Moi University Pension Scheme (Mups) Trustee Chebutuk Rotich, the iconic structure will have a parking space of 600 vehicles to help curb the issue of parking in the town....  read more: constructionreviewonline.com/news/east-africa/kenyan-university-commissions-construction-us356m-complex/

Nairobi buildings must be ICT compliant

All new buildings within Nairobi County will be required to have in-built Internet connectivity in efforts to enhance Information and Communications Technology.
Nairobi County Governor Evans Kidero says this will be considered as any other utility like water and electricity before approving all constructions submissions.

He said the county will in the meantime work with the owners of existing buildings and ensure they are upgraded in the next six months. read more: www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2014/04/nairobi-buildings-must-be-ict-compliant-kidero

Nairobi on course to become Africa’s second top city

Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, could soon overtake Cairo to become Africa’s second leading city after Johannesburg.

It may well be on course to joining an elite category of fast-growing and highly competitive global urban economic hotspots, according to the influential Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

The United Kingdom-based EIU predicts a rosy future for Nairobi in a study dubbed “Hot Spots: Benchmarking Global City Competitiveness”.

It says the city will be one of the fastest growing urban economies in the world in the coming decade and a magnet for investment. This is aided by a number of factors, most notably a skilled workforce and a relatively low cost of living. read more: nairobinews.nation.co.ke/nairobi-on-course-to-become-africas-second-top-city

Mega shopping mall commissioned in Kenya

image source: thikaroaddev.wordpress.com

The Kenyan capital Nairobi's status as an economic and infrastructure powerhouse in East Africa was given a boost on Wednesday with the construction of the region's largest and most expensive shopping mall commissioned.

Garden City, to be based along the newly constructed Thika Superhighway, is Nairobi's flagship retail, residential and commercial property development.

The mall will house a 50,000-square-meter retail centre, over 420 apartments and town houses, commercial offices and a stunning three acre central park open to all. It is being built on a 32- acre-piece of land. read more: www.globaltimes.cn

Putting 'invisible' Mathare Valley on the map

If you were to do a search for the Nairobi city slum of Mathare on Google Maps, you'd find little more than gray spaces between unmarked roads.

Slums by nature are unplanned, primordial cities, the opposite of well-ordered city grids. Squatters rights rule, and woe to the visitor who ventures in without permission. But last year, a group of activist cartographers called the Spatial Collective started walking around Mathare typing landmarks into hand-held GPS devices.

In a slum with no addresses and no street names, they are creating a map of what it's like to live here. read more: www.wbur.org/npr

39-storey Hazina Trade Centre construction starts

The National Social Security Fund has officially kicked off construction works to complete the 39-storey Hazina Trade Centre in Nairobi.

Speaking when he presided over the function, Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi said the project has set the stage for NSSF’s strategic efforts to diversify their investment portfolio to cover high impact investment projects.

He said the fund will focus on high impact investments that guarantee a high return in the energy and infrastructural development sectors. 

read more: www.capitalfm.co.ke/business

Garden City construction to begin in July

Construction on a multi-billion shilling property development on Thika Road will commence next month. A statement released to newsrooms on Thursday by Actis, a private equity firm backing the project, said that construction of phase one on Garden City will begin in July.

Garden City is a Sh21.3 billion ($250 million) property development that incorporates a 50,000 square meter retail mall, at least 600 residential units and a park. The project is located on a 32-acre piece of land previously owned by East African Breweries Limited.
read more: www.nation.co.ke/business/news/

image source: www.nakumatt.net/blog/

ABOUT: Garden City is a mixed use greenfield development which has the scale and scope to change the horizon of north west Nairobi. The site, which is expected to open for business in 2014, is located on a prime 32 acre plot of land adjacent to the upgraded Thika Road. It will incorporate the largest mall in East Africa. source: www.act.is/portfolio/