News

A different reality is present in Nairobi, Kenya, just a few minutes away in the shadow of glittering glass towers in the upscale district of Gigiri, where United Nations staff in air-conditioned vehicles glide past security checkpoints and manicured lawns meet the edge of Karura Forest.

In the cramped alleyways of Githogoro slum, just 2km (about a mile) from where Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, may soon host more UN offices and staff, Agnes Karimi cuts meat on a wooden table under the scorching sun, watching her stock spoil in the heat because she has no electricity to power a refrigerator.

Karimi’s meat gets spoiled daily in her small butchery, despite the UN complex’s state-of-the-art conference facilities and reliable power.

As Kenya prepares for what local officials claim will be a historic transformation, the contrast couldn’t be more stark.

By 2026, major UN agencies including UNICEF, UNFPA, and UN Women may&nbsp, relocate their headquarters from high-cost Western cities to Nairobi, part of the UN80 reform agenda to decentralise operations to more cost-effective regions.

Nairobi, a bustling metropolis of 5 million people, hopes that the move will cement its position as one of four UN hubs, along with New York, Geneva, and Vienna.

Even though the UN stated this month that the relocation decision has not been finalized, Kenya will benefit from the country’s already-established presence and the opportunities presented by its operations in the greater horn, east, and central Africa sub-regions, according to Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, who was quoted as saying in February.

For Ambassador Ababu Namwamba, Kenya’s permanent representative to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi boasts “impressive capabilities” as a logistical and financial hub. Nairobi consistently offers top-notch services at third-tier prices, he told Al Jazeera, calling it “the key multilateral diplomatic hub and the environmental capital of the world.”

For Nairobians, the proposed move has prompted a complex mix of hope, scepticism, and fear about who will actually benefit from this global spotlight.

The city is already dealing with a serious housing crisis that has left countless people without basic services living in informal settlements. The arrival of an estimated 2, 000 well-paid international staff members by the end of 2026, who will make significantly more money than their average monthly salaries, threatens to worsen existing inequality in a city where only 5 percent of the land area is covered by informal settlements, which are estimated to be in the neighborhood of $590 to $640 for most Kenyans.

“We do not have electricity here. At her butchery, 36-year-old Karimi, a mother of four, swatted flies in the humid Githogoro air. “My meat goes bad fast.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), her struggles resemble those of thousands of informal business owners in Nairobi’s sprawling slums, where only 23 percent of households have access to electricity.

Nairobi’s ‘ Beverly Hills ‘ gearing up

Transformations are already evident in Nairobi’s upscale neighborhoods.

Tree-lined streets and gated communities in Runda, Muthaiga, and Kitisuru are gearing up for an influx of foreign staff, which are frequently referred to as the “Beverly Hills of Nairobi.” This includes fast-tracking construction of upscale housing units, as well as expanding restaurants, long-stay hotels and international school campuses.

The Nairobi that most UN staffers call home is represented by these leafy enclaves, where swimming pools glisten behind tall walls and gardeners tend to manicured lawns.

The city’s housing market is also anticipating a change, too.

According to Joachim Ombui, chairman of the Landlords and Tenants Association of Kenya, the UN’s settlement in Nairobi is predicted to yield a 10 to 11 percent increase for long-term rentals.

He told Al Jazeera, “This is a strategic location for tourism and business and promotes socioeconomic integration, making Nairobi a global hub for investment, peace integration for African states, and a strategic location for business.”

By 2026, Ombui predicts a 10% increase in rental prices because developers are building gated communities around UN employees.

In areas like Westlands, Kilimani, and Upper Hill, he reported to Al Jazeera, “We’re seeing a shift toward mixed-use developments where residential, commercial, and recreational spaces are incorporated with sustainable, eco-friendly designs.” However, he added that “rising rents and rising lease costs, which could double, are a concern,” and that his organization would petition the government to put in place rent control measures.

The property market has already been experiencing changes, observers note.

Rwamba Njagi, a journalist in Ruaka, a developing middle-class residential area close to the UN headquarters, reports that some housing rentals, which were once around $155 per month last year, have now increased to over $ 380. Improved infrastructure and the area’s close proximity to important offices and amenities are contributing factors to this. For the last three years, Njagi said property costs have been rising rapidly in this district as investors and developers who recognised the untapped potential moved in. She said that the majority of the locals who inherited the land were sold to investors and were later turned into watchmen and caretakers.

According to local real estate reports, these price increases are occurring in a city where rental costs currently account for 40% to 60% of middle-class incomes. With average one-bedroom apartments in decent neighbourhoods costing $200-400 monthly – equivalent to an entire month’s salary for many Kenyans – the prospect of further increases due to international demand has sparked genuine anxiety.

Economicist John Mwati, executive director of the Transcending Africa Leadership Foundation, sees both opportunity and risk in the expansion.

“We are thrilled that the UN has relocated its operations to Nairobi. It could have a profoundly positive impact on Kenya’s economic landscape, bringing more jobs and spending in sectors like real estate, hospitality, and services”, he explained.

Mwati warns that “smart government action is required: ensuring the economic gains are felt across the board, and investing in affordable housing, regulating runaway property prices, and…

Al Jazeera repeatedly emailed the heads of presidential special projects and creative economy coordination, Isaac Mwaura, Shadrack Mwadime, and Dennis Itumbi, the government’s spokesperson.

Mixed emotions

The UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) has already approved two construction projects worth close to $ 340 million, the largest investment the UN Secretariat has made in Africa since its founding, besides peacekeeping.

These enhancements could potentially allow Nairobi to host UNGA meetings – a diplomatic coup that would further cement Kenya’s role as what officials call the “multilateral capital of the Global South”.

The Nairobi capital has a long history as a hub for the UN. Its host organization has increased from 300 to 6 500 staff members, along with their 11, 000 dependents and family members, since 1972, to 116.

There are now 83 UN offices, the majority of which are in Gigiri. Despite this significant presence at the UN, specific areas of the capital have not yet received major infrastructure upgrades.

Any hope about the proposed UN expansion has been stifled by years of unfulfilled promises, says 33-year-old Simon Awene, a father of two.

“The only time anyone helps us is when they are pushing for their agendas”, he said, lamenting that the improved services, education and work opportunities he expected have not materialised.

However, Ambassador Ababu claims that Kenya is “ready for more of the world.”

According to him, “elaborate plans have been put into place to ease logistics, including the modernization of the airport, sea and dryland ports in Mombasa, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and Naivasha,” including the expansion of all access roads leading to the UN.

A 24-year-old motorbike taxi driver named John Njuguna represents a younger generation who is cautiously optimistic about new opportunities. Since he believes that hiring more international staff members will have a positive impact on employment, his clients are primarily casual laborers.

“I have hopes of earning more with the coming of more foreigners because that will translate to more casual labourers working and commuting daily”, Njuguna said, revving his motorcycle at a busy Gigiri junction where matatus (shared taxis) jostle for passengers alongside diplomatic vehicles.

However, Cledwyn Mamai, an events coordinator who resides close to the wealthy Runda neighborhood, claims that established, wealthy neighborhoods where “a large proportion of residents own their homes,” are where the effects of the changes may be limited.

He believes that Kenyans who have land on lease may be “sceptical of the increases in rents” because they doubt the middle-class Kenyan renters they serve will be able to afford them, despite more international funding entering Nairobi.

Mamai notes that in districts like Githogoro, where residents like Karimi have watched international prosperity flourish next door while their basic needs remain unmet, a different effect will be felt.

He warned that the expansion serves as yet another example of how they are not included in Kenya’s growth story.

News of the proposed UN changes had not reached Karimi, who works in her small butchery in Githogoro. But when she was told, she became instantly hopeful that perhaps it could bring some relief.

She said, “I only wish the UN community could provide for our need for electricity,” indulging in happier times. “I could purchase a refrigerator to keep my customers coming back from days of operation.”