Kenya: Wealthy Kenyans Push Land Prices in Karen and Runda Up

Nairobi — An acre of land in Karen, Runda and Riverside grew by 3 percent, 2.9 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively, in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, driven by rising demand for high-end neighbourhoods by wealthy buyers, latest data shows.

According to the HassConsult Land Index, an acre of land in Karen now goes for Sh76 million, Runda Sh101.1 million, while Riverside remains the most expensive at Sh369.2 million.

"Land price growth in 2024 and 2025 has been the strongest we have experienced in Nairobi in a decade, driven by a chase for high-end locations for development," said HassConsult Co-CEO Sakina Hassanali.

However, the report shows that land prices in some suburbs declined, with Muthangari recording a drop of 0.8 percent and Westlands falling by 0.3 percent. In Q4, an acre of land in Muthangari was valued at Sh397.5 million, while Westlands stood at Sh502.7 million.

"Land price growth in the city's 18 monitored suburbs edged down marginally to 5.92 percent for the year and 1.32 percent for the quarter, but remained at long-term highs, with 2024 and 2025 delivering the most sustained surge in land prices in a decade," HassConsult said.

In Nairobi's satellite towns, Ruiru recorded the highest appreciation, with land prices rising by 3.4 percent to Sh39.4 million per acre, followed by Juja, which grew by 3 percent to Sh26.3 million.

Meanwhile, land prices continued to decline in Athi River and Syokimau, which fell by 0.4 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

"Growth was more subdued in the fourth quarter in the year's most heated towns--Juja, Limuru and Kiserian--all of which recorded land price growth of over 12 percent for the year but 3 percent or less in the final quarter," the report added.

"Of these, Juja remained the most buoyant, while Kiserian slowed the most at year-end, with prices rising just 1.3 percent between September and December."

Read the original article on Capital FM.