The sad decline of Karen estate

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They were quiet when the Buru burus and Lang’atas were undergoing the same transformation, why stop at Karen and Muthaiga?

Karen is zoned as low density residential area where one family home should occupy a minimum of 1/2 acre. Greedy developers who want to squeeze 10 townhouses on a 1/2acre like in photo below must be resisted by all means.

https://i0.wp.com/commercialpropertykenya.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Pyramid-Oak-Town-Houses-2.jpeg?fit=850%2C570&ssl=1

old money vs new money

Its more of old money vs those without money. Leafy estates should not be degraded by greedy developers.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/p30A9xSeiW5YbuXYrak-ijRVp5DcqlKyExQcLtBxgXe6rBFnxGQNW7lY2FYVQQ3KR0RF0npsss1xJCBYsbhr5GmaS5RCntvBoPQxDHIjZYCikLxi_O1KprYj

This should not be allowed to happen. The same thing happened in RedHill and walahi gated communities are all the rage now.

The degradation of Karen began when they started allowing half acre plots. Anyway, in my opinion, Karen still remains the premier residential destination (in Nairobi). My biggest reason being proximity to Wilson Airport. The leafy surroundings are great. And I’ve made a post here about Karen Tamasha. It is the highest value for money restaurant in Nairobi bar none. Where else can you be in a leafy, airy, spacey setting with a lot of parking and still pay 240 for a Guinness and 220 for lady drinks? And nyama choma at 800 /-? Lastly and not least, the connectivity of Karen has improved a lot. Langata Road is greatly improved, Ngong Road is VASTLY Improved and the southern bypass is a gamechanger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZGisItGBwg

Zoning should be enforced,imagine a house valued at bazillions only to depreciate and devalued because someone saw fit to build a seven storey-no-lift apartment. Kenya is messed up. People complaining are new money folks

Those were for midro crass. I lived in buruu when each ‘mansion’ had a picket fence gate and trash bins outside,roads and walkways were paved and marked,buglar proofs were not even invented,until moneyed undesirables decided to invade and build bladi extensions:D

ao akina Donald Kipkorir hujifanya masonko yet wao hulipa domestic workers wao vibaya na relatives wao wanateseka so lazima watumie matatu na wakule kwa vibanda wakitoka kwa izo manyumba zao, then wanacomplain eti vibanda zinaingia karibu na wao

Does anyone need mbotches in these days of washing machines and instant coffee makers?

I also wonder.but most men insist on mboches so they can have them as side dishes

I always figured it was Kitusuru

Different strokes for different folk. But most big shots who can live anywhere tend to choose Karen. Raila, Ruto, Wetangula, Ahmednasir, DKB, The Keens, The Leakeys, Kalonzo Musyoka…

Nikiwa kijana wa college nilikua napeleka yengs apa date najiskia Alejandro mbayaaaaa

Karen has the cheapest land among the leafy suburbs. Real billionaires live in muthaiga, kitsuru, springvalley, kyuna, Runda etc where the cost of land alone is 3x that of karen. Also many people confuse langata with karen. There is a reason they have the KARENGATA (Karen - Langata) association.

Enda

Enda Nyari Estate uone wenye Kenya.

Expensive doesn’t make a place the best. Otherwise we would be crowning Upper Hill the best. I’d be kinda silly to say, hey, this place is expensive, I gotta live there! You choose a place on a set criteria that works for you. Also note I was very specific that it is the best in Nairobi. Among the wealthy, only those who NEED to be in Nairobi, live in Nairobi.

Karen apart from those I mentioned earlier also hosts, the owner of the KFC franchise in Kenya, the owner of something random, Julia Perowne (of Perowne International), the late Tom Cholmondeley’s Nairobi residence is in Karen (where his then girlfriend Sally Dudmesh lives now), many of the Aristocrats who moved to Laikipia, Naivasha and Kijabe also still maintain residences in Karen most famously Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley (owners of Girraffe Manor), Kuki Gallman (author of “I dreamed of Africa” - the one who was shot on her 100,000 acre ranch in Laikipia) after being shot retreated to her home in Karen to recuperate.

Karen has an appreciable bulk of Nairobi’s heavyweights, be it businessmen, politicians or aristocrats.

On a side note, give us a list of some notable names who live in those areas. I’d imagine it’s mostly people for whom it is convenient to be near the UN complex and or embassies, and the people for whom it is an easy commute to their rural residences. While the latter may be real Billionaires, the former will likely just be employees.

Finally, best is highly subjective. Otherwise all the wealthy people would be living in the same place. I think the areas you mentioned have a high concentration of rich employees. And a few wealthy, mostly Kikuyu business men.

Oh I forgot to add, those places you mentioned don’t have that many 5 acre and above properties. Surely, not very many wealthy people want to squeeze on half acre and 1 acre plots. Then there’s proximity to Wilson Airport. You want to be in and out of Nairobi as swiftly as possible.