Pain of Kenyan homeowners forced to rent urban apartments

A version of this article appeared on Nation.Africa.

For many Kenyans struggling to get on the property ladder, owning a house is the ultimate dream of financial security. However, an emerging trend reveals that owning a valuable home does not necessarily free a person from the monthly cycle of paying rent.

Many individuals who invested millions of shillings in building or buying houses are now living as tenants. This shift highlights the changing realities of employment mobility, retirement planning, and long-term family security in the country.

Michael Ogillo pays Sh40,000 every month for a modest apartment within Nairobi. This expenditure occurs despite him owning a fully functional house back in Kisumu, which is valued at approximately Sh5 million.

To those unfamiliar with the dynamics of the local job market, this arrangement looks highly contradictory. Ogillo explains that his choices are driven entirely by professional survival, and convenience.

He notes that he has worked in the capital city for nearly two decades, but his employment demands frequent deployment across different regions. This mobility makes residing in his own property impractical.

Many working professionals find themselves in similar situations across the Central Business District (CBD) and surrounding suburbs. They build substantial homes in their ancestral counties, but they must remain near urban economic hubs for work.

Lifestyles and career trajectories are changing how people view their assets. Property ownership is becoming less about immediate occupation, and more about securing an asset for later years.

For these individuals, a house in a distant town serves as a safety net for retirement. It provides family security, even if it cannot serve as their primary residence during their peak working years.

The financial pressure of maintaining two households weighs heavily on these owners, who must maintain upcountry properties while funding urban rentals. This trend alters traditional ideas of real estate success in Kenya.