Masokani emerges as the next property frontier along Nairobi’s Kangundo Road
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Land prices are climbing in Masokani and neighbouring settlements along the Kangundo Road corridor in Machakos County, as developers subdivide plots and buyers look beyond Nairobi’s crowded urban centres.
Masokani, an emerging settlement on Kangundo Road in Matungulu Sub-County, Machakos County, is shaping up as the next property frontier in Nairobi’s satellite belt. Fenced plots now stretch across the dry landscape along the Koma-Kenol and Nairobi-Kangundo Road corridor, with scattered maisonettes and commercial buildings under construction, even as many plots remain empty.
Prices have risen sharply over the years. Robert Kamau, who has lived in Masokani since the 1990s, says he bought two acres at Sh40,000 an acre and now estimates that a 50-by-100-foot plot near the road costs at least Sh1.5 million. Across the wider corridor, 50-by-100-foot plots in Malaa and Kantafu cost about Sh999,000, while plots of the same size in Joska sell for between Sh1.1 million and Sh1.7 million, with commercial plots listed at about Sh2.2 million.
Developers are buying large tracts of land, subdividing, titling and installing utilities such as water and electricity to attract buyers. After that value addition, the settlement’s commercial 50-by-100-foot plots fetch at least Sh2.1 million, according to Mr Kamau. Houses are also being priced to draw owner-occupiers: a three-bedroom home goes for about Sh5.2 million, while a 152-square-metre four-bedroom townhouse costs approximately Sh9.5 million.
The settlement, near the boundary of the Kathiani and Matungulu constituencies, is attracting buyers seeking homes away from crowded urban centres. Mary Ndanu, who bought a 50-by-100-foot plot five years ago during the Covid-19 period for Sh520,000, now hopes to sell it for about Sh850,000 and redirect the proceeds into rental houses or another property with better returns.
A petrol station is taking shape in the area, which Ms Ndanu believes could be accompanied by a mini supermarket, while improved road access is expected to encourage more businesses and residential developers. Analysts note, however, that the pace of growth will depend on whether infrastructure keeps up with the land prices being quoted, since buyers holding undeveloped plots must weigh the cost of waiting against returns available elsewhere.