Nation Centre: Nairobi's 17-storey landmark now leasing offices from KSh80 a square foot
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Nairobi's 17-storey Nation Centre, completed in 1997, is drawing fresh attention as a new building rises beside it, with upper-floor office space advertised from KSh80 per square foot a month.
For nearly three decades the twin-tower profile of Nation Centre has formed part of Nairobi's central business district skyline, and the building is drawing renewed attention as a new structure rises immediately beside it.
Located along Kimathi Street, the 17-storey building was completed in 1997 after a five-year construction period to serve as the headquarters of Nation Media Group. It was developed by Industrial Promotion Building Ltd and designed by Kenyan firm Planning Systems Services together with Danish architectural practice Henning Larsen Architects.
The Council on Vertical Urbanism records the building at 82.9 metres and 17 floors, with construction beginning in 1992. Its design was conceived as a landmark mixed-use development with offices and shops. A 10-storey podium rises from street level, with two cylindrical seven-storey towers positioned above it, while a tall aerial is mounted on the entrance canopy.
The exterior uses horizontal bands and concrete louvers, and the interior incorporates a double-height lobby, fountains, two atria and spiral staircases, with landscaped roof gardens on the upper levels. Newspapers initially occupied four floors and spent KSh80 million fitting out their space, and by 1994 the building was fully occupied, with tenants including the Nairobi Stock Exchange and Diamond Trust Bank.
The Aga Khan Development Network owns Nation Centre, and Property Development & Management, an AKDN-affiliated real estate company, manages it. The building continues to accommodate commercial tenants alongside its association with Nation Media Group.
According to Property Development & Management, available spaces start from 2,700 square feet in partly fitted or bare-shell options. The advertised rent is KSh330 per square foot a month for ground-floor space and KSh80 per square foot on the upper floors, before service charge, with a service charge of KSh37 per square foot and parking charged at KSh13,650 per bay.
The building offers 24-hour access and security, high-speed lifts, CCTV surveillance, standby generators and fibre connectivity, and its office spaces can accommodate open-plan arrangements, private offices and executive suites, while the ground floor can host retail and restaurant uses.