Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, has the country’s tallest buildings. It was named the most innovative city in Africa and among the top 100 cities worldwide by independent real estate consultancy firm Knight Frank in April 2021.
Nairobi came in first, ahead of Cape Town, according to the Africa Horizons report for the year 2021/22. Kampala, Uganda’s capital, came in third, followed by Cairo, Egypt, and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Despite having less robust economies, Tilda Mwai, an Africa researcher at Knight Frank, said investors were willing to put their money in Nairobi, Kampala, and Cape Town because of their high innovation scores.
Some of the tallest buildings in Nairobi include the pinnacle towers, the britam tower, the old mutual building, and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
Foreign investors have built tall buildings in Nairobi in the last decade, altering the city’s skyline.
Tallest Buildings In Nairobi
1. Pinnacle Tower
Once completed, the KSh 20 billion Pinnacle Tower in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area will be the country’s tallest structure. It consists of two towers, one of which has 46 floors (200.8 meters) and the other of which has 70 floors (300 meters).
Hass Petroleum and the White Lotus Group, led by Indian tycoon Vijaykumar Naidu, are working on it together.
China State Construction Engineering Corporation is in charge of its construction, which began in 2018.
Developers contributed $50 million to the project, with the rest coming from Afreximbank and other Kenyan banks. The construction of the skyscraper has been hampered by delays and legal battles.
2. Britam Tower
Britam Tower, a 200-meter-high office complex in Nairobi’s Upper Hill, surpassed UAP Old Mutual Tower as Kenya’s tallest building in July 2018.
The 31-story tower, whose construction began in early 2013 and ended in September 2017, features a prismatic design that is truly unique. The structure resembles a black pyramid with the top corner missing at its widest point, and it becomes a more slender black prism from other perspectives.
Britam Tower was named the 10th best skyscraper in the world in 2018, making it the first building in Africa to be honored in the Emporis Skyscrapers Award’s 19-year history.
3. Nairobi GTC Office Tower
The Nairobi GTC Office Tower, the tallest of the six towers that make up the Sh40 billion Global Trade Centre, has joined the list of Kenya’s tallest structures.
Avic, a Chinese firm, is establishing its continental hub on a 7.5-acre plot of land in Westlands, Nairobi, with a 184-meter, 43-story office building as its Africa headquarters.
The tower, which was under construction since July 2015, was opened in December 2021.
4. UAP Old Mutual Tower
After more than five years of construction, the 163-meter UAP Old Mutual Tower in Upper Hill became Nairobi’s tallest building when it opened in July 2016.
The 33-story structure, which was later renamed Britam Tower, provides 300,000 square feet of Grade A office space in Nairobi’s fastest-growing commercial district.
UAP Old Mutual Tower, at 5,700 feet above sea level, is Nairobi’s highest point, surpassing Rahimtulla Tower, which previously held the title.
5. Nairobi GTC Hotel Tower
The completion of the Nairobi GTC Hotel Tower, the second tallest of the Global Trade Centre’s six towers, has added a new name to Kenya’s list of tallest skyscrapers.
The 141-meter-tall, 35-story structure is expected to house Marriott International’s star-studded JW Marriott hotel chain.
The Nairobi GTC Hotel Tower, whose construction began in July 2015, opened in December 2021.
6. Times Tower
Times Tower, also known as New Central Bank Tower, is a 140-meter skyscraper in Nairobi that is solely used by the Kenya Revenue Authority. It is located on Haile Selassie Avenue.
The 38-story structure, which opened in 2000, is built on a concrete raft that ranges in thickness from 0.9 to 3.0 meters and is designed to withstand powerful earthquakes.
The building has a 7-storey banking complex and an 11-split storey car park.
7. Prism Tower
The Kings Prism Tower is a 133-meter tall skyscraper in Nairobi’s Upper Hill neighborhood.
The 34-story structure, which is designed to look like prisms stacked on prisms, was completed in 2018.
A spectrum of vivid colors emerges whenever a ray of light passes through the prismatic facades of the building, bringing to life the owner’s vision of illuminating Nairobi residents’ creative productivity.
Kings Developers, a wholly Kenyan-owned property development company that was founded as part of the Royal Group of Companies, owns the Kings Prism Tower.
8. Le’mac Towers
Le’mac Towers is a Sh3.5 billion mixed-use development in Nairobi’s Westlands neighborhood, off Waiyaki Way, aimed at wealthy buyers and renters looking for homes in exclusive suburbs.
The 24-story structure, which opened in 2019, has offices on the first through sixth floors and high-end one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments on the eighth through 22nd floors.
Le’mac Towers is currently Kenya’s tallest residential building, standing at 126 meters.
One of the most striking features of the Lemac Towers is a transparent glass floor skywalk on the 24th floor, which provides a breathtaking view of cars moving more than 100 meters beneath your feet.
9. Parliament Tower
Following the topping out of the Sh5.8 billion office block, which ranks among Kenya’s tallest buildings, work on a new Parliament tower in Nairobi is nearing completion.
The 26-story office building, which rises 125 meters into the sky and is developed by the Parliamentary Service Commission, sits on a one-acre plot next to Parliament buildings, between Continental House and County Hall.
The 418-member legislature will be housed in the Parliament Tower, which began construction in March 2014.
China Jiangxi Construction Company is in charge of the project.
10. Telposta House
Telposta Towers is a 120-meter office building on Nairobi’s Kenyatta Avenue. It surpassed the KICC as the tallest building in Kenya when it was completed in 1999.
Telkom Kenya, as well as several government ministries and departments, including the Ministry of ICT, is housed in the 27-story building built by Laxmanbhai Construction.
Read Top 20 Interesting Facts About Nairobi City.
11. Nairobi GTC Residential Tower 1
With the completion of Nairobi GTC Residential Tower 1, the third tallest of the Global Trade Centre’s six towers, Kenya now has a new player on its list of tallest structures.
The 116-meter-tall, 33-story residential apartment tower, whose construction began in July 2015, was completed in December 2021.
12. The KCB Plaza
Located in Nairobi’s Upper Hill district, The KCB Plaza is a 109-meter, 21-storey skyscraper that houses the Kenya Commercial Bank’s regional headquarters.
The Sh2.1 billion office building, which was completed in 2014, uses green architecture, following a global trend in which developers use modern technology to reduce maintenance costs.
13. Nairobi GTC Residential Towers 2 & 3
The Nairobi GTC Residential Towers 2 and 3 are two 31-story buildings that are part of the Global Trade Centre – which opened to the public in December 2021. The two buildings soar 109 meters into the sky.
14. Kenyatta International Convention Centre
The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), formerly known as the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, is a 105-meter, 28-story tower in Nairobi City Square, and appears among the tallest buildings in Nairobi.
The skyscraper, which was completed in 1974, overtook the NSSF Building as Kenya’s tallest structure. It held this position for 25 years until Telposta Tower overtook it.
Kenyan architect David Mutiso collaborated with Norwegian designer Karl Henrik Nstvik to create the KICC. It has a 360-degree rotating restaurant that takes 76 minutes to complete.
15. Upper Hill Chambers
The 104-meter, 26-story 316 Upper Hill Chambers is located on 2nd Ngong Avenue in Upper Hill, about 2 kilometers from Nairobi’s central business district.
Upper Hill Chambers Ltd. owns the 26-story tower, which includes three basement parking floors, a ground floor, a mezzanine floor, five upper parking floors, and 15 Grade A office floors.
Read Safest and Affordable Estates To Live In Nairobi Kenya.
16. Nairobi GTC Residential Tower 4
The completion of Nairobi GTC Residential Tower 4, the shortest of the Global Trade Centre’s six towers, has added a new name to Kenya’s list of tallest residential buildings.
The 103-meter, 29-story structure, which had been in the works since July 2015, finally opened its doors to the public last month.
17. Social Security House
Social Security House, also known as the NSSF Building, is a 103-meter, 28-story building that serves as the headquarters of the National Social Security Fund. It is located on Bishops Road in Community, Nairobi.
In 1973, Social Security House was completed, surpassing the Nairobi Hilton hotel, which had been built in 1969, as Kenya’s tallest building. The IPS Building, which had been constructed in 1967, had been replaced by the latter.
