A new trend is emerging among investors in Nairobi, with many shifting their focus from the congested city center to the surrounding outskirts and satellite towns. This strategic move is being driven by the need for expansion, affordability, and better accessibility for their growing customer base.
Titus Kariuki, Chairman of Mark Touch Engineering Limited, highlighted this shift in a recent telephone interview. “We plan to buy land or lands near Nairobi, where we will not pay rent but where our clients can access with ease. Somewhere you can rush within an hour and be back in the city,” he stated.
Kariuki emphasized that expanding beyond the Central Business District is not just about real estate, but about business growth and job creation. “When we expand, we create jobs like marketing, transport and increase sales. Our main outlet is in Nairobi’s Central Business District,” he said.
He praised companies like Amcco Properties Limited, based in Kikuyu town, for their role in facilitating this expansion by offering land in prime, accessible areas. “They have parcels of lands near the city. Traders seeking to expand their businesses have choices to choose the location where they want to move to,” Kariuki noted. He added that after visiting several companies, Mark Touch Engineering was particularly impressed with Amcco’s “very attractive rates, accessible lands to tarmac and wifi connections, as well as attractive price offers.”
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James Muturi, the Managing Director of Amcco Properties, confirmed the high demand from traders and investors. He said his company specializes in properties in Kikuyu, Ngong, and Ndeiya, citing their easy accessibility as a key factor. “In real estate businesses, it is important to offer traders and investors a chance to expand themselves,” Muturi said. He revealed that their business model, which focuses on providing housing solutions for both residential and trade purposes, has even attracted interest from Kenyans in the diaspora.
“Many Kenyans living outside the country openly reveal plans to invest when they come back to their own country. They start looking for us since we have a department that is now dealing with such issues,” Muturi revealed.
He underscored the importance of trust and transparency in the land buying process, stating that Amcco conducts thorough investigations on all land parcels before they are sold to ensure there are no legal disputes. “We wouldn’t want to hear of cases where we bought a land and sold it to someone innocently, and there is a dispute haunting him,” he said.
Muturi also spoke on the country’s housing needs, stating that Kenya requires approximately 250,000 new houses annually for both residential and commercial use. This demand, he explained, is the driving force behind the rapid activity in the real estate sector. “As investors, we must also think about other traders. Our country is built by investors. Their taste and preferences really matter a lot,” he added.
Economic analyst Dr. William Gichuhi weighed in on the trend, cautioning that all investments in the country must be handled with care. “At this age and time, no one should play with people’s investments,” he said on Sunday, emphasizing the significant contribution of investment to the national economy.
By Felix Wanderi
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