Business

If you spend any time on Kenyan diaspora forums or Reddit’s r/Kenya, you will inevitably stumble upon a heartbreak story: A hardworking Kenyan abroad wires millions of shillings over three years to a trusted uncle to build a house in Ruiru or buy a plot in Kitengela. When they finally fly back for December holidays, they find an empty field, a half-finished shell, or a plot that actually belongs to...

A few years ago, the math seemed foolproof: buy or rent a 1-bedroom apartment in Kilimani, furnish it nicely, list it on Airbnb, and watch the daily rates crush standard monthly rental yields. Today, social media groups are full of frustrated hosts asking, "Where did the bookings go?" Is the short-term rental bubble bursting? Not exactly—but it is maturing, and the easy money is gone. The Market...

For decades, buying an apartment in Nairobi meant you did not actually own the physical piece of real estate. Instead, you received a "share certificate" in a management company, or a long-term sub-lease tied to the developer's mother title. This caused endless headaches-from developers using the mother title to secure secret bank loans, to owners struggling to use their apartments as...