Guide to Kenya

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Many companies will provide housing for their employees as housing used to be quite cheap. If working for a school some schools have housing on site. Houses and apartments are situated on compounds with guards (askaris) at the gates to provide extra security. In Nairobi there is a lot of accommodation, especially apartments so expect a lot of choice. When choosing a place to live take in consideration how far you have to travel to work; Nairobi traffic is generally very busy. Choosing an area to live in First find the area or town that you are going to be living in. If your not living in Nairobi then seek advice from someone who lives in the town you will be working in. The process may be similar but I have not had experience outside Nairobi. Nairobi is split into many different suburbs. Kileleshwa, Lavington, Westlands, Kilimani, Hurlingham, Langata and Karen are popular places to live. Kileleshwa, Huurlingham, Kilimani, Westlands are not to far from the city centre but Karen is a little further out. Some still refer to it as Karen Village even though it is very much part of Nairobi now. Finding a property to view If looking for a place to live in Nairobi, or elsewhere in Kenya, you can go to an estate agent. There is a good one of Langata Road in Nairobi in a small shopping area called Langata Link. Their is also one on Karen Road at a place called Rhino House and probably many more I am unaware of. Some people also know people who find houses for people and can give you their numbers. You can also use a magazine called Xpat link which has a number of different properties around the city but mostly in Karen and Lavington. Click the pick to go to their website     Finally the way which I know that some people have found their house/apartment was to drive around the different areas and look for signs outside the gates. Often you can pull up to the gate and ask the guard about the property (in English). They often had the key and could show you around or would find the caretaker who would let you view the property. You could also get the landlords number from them and find out how much the property is going for. How much should I pay Don't expect the property to be really cheap. Some rental properties are expensive, especially in desirable areas. As stated earlier, the guard or caretaker will know a lot about the property including the price. This will be negotiable and if you are white, probably more expensive than you want to pay. However, with negotiations you can often get the price down. We are paying KSH 55,000 for a two bedroom bungalow in Karen. A lot of apartments are three bedrooms and depending on how new and which area they were in, cost between KSH 55,000 and KSH 90,000. It is nice to get a house with a garden as you spend a lot of time outside. However apartments often have some sort of outside communal area and sometimes a swimming pool and/or gym.

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