Nairobi was ranked as the top innovative city in Africa in April 2021 by real estate consultancy firm Knight Frank
Tilda Mwai, a researcher for Africa at Knight Frank, said investors were willing to sink their money in Nairobi, Kampala, and Cape Town because of its’ high innovation score
The KSh 20 billion Pinnacle Tower under construction in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area would be the tallest building in Kenya once complete
Kenya’s capital Nairobi hosts the tallest buildings in the country.
In April 2021, it was ranked as the top innovative city in Africa and among the top 100 globally by independent real estate consultancy firm Knight Frank.
The Africa horizons report for the year 2021/22 noted Nairobi emerged first ahead of Cape Town.
Ugandan capital Kampala was third, while Cairo (Egypt) and Johannesburg (South Africa) were fourth and fifth.
Tilda Mwai, a researcher for Africa at Knight Frank, said investors were willing to sink their money in Nairobi, Kampala, and Cape Town because of its high innovation score despite having less robust economies. In the last decade, foreign investors have set up tall buildings in Nairobi, changing the city’s skyline. TUKO.co.ke lists the tallest buildings in Kenya according to Emporis, a real estate data mining company based in Germany.
1. The Pinnacle Tower The KSh 20 billion Pinnacle Tower under construction in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area would be the tallest building in Kenya once complete.
It has two adjacent towers, one with 46 floors (200.8 meters) and the other with 70 floors (300 meters).
It is being developed jointly by Hass Petroleum and the White Lotus Group managed by Indian tycoon Vijaykumar Naidu.
Its construction which commenced in 2018, is being undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation. The project is being funded by developers ($50 million), while the rest were sourced from Afreximbank and other Kenyan banks. Delays and court cases have mired the skyscraper’s construction.
2. Britam Tower Standing at 200 meters, the Britam Tower is currently the tallest complete building in Kenya. The commercial building completed in 2017 is owned by the British-American Investments Company (Britam).
It has 31 floors above the ground and three below. It has 1,002 parking spaces. It serves as the international headquarters of Britam and cost KSh 7 billion. 3. Nairobi Global Trade Centre Office Tower The KSh 40 billion Global Trade Centre (GTC) in Nairobi’s Westlands was launched by Chinese company Avic International in September 2018. Its construction was completed in 2020 and has an architectural height of 184 meters with 43 floors above the ground.
4. UAP Tower UAP Old Mutual Group owns the 33-storey 163 meters office complex. It temporarily became the tallest building upon its completion in 2015, surpassing the Times Tower, which held the record then. It cost KSh 4 billion to build and stands majestically in the Upper Hill area overlooking the CBD.
5. Nairobi Global Trade Centre Hotel Tower It has an architectural height of 140.75 meters with 35 floors above the ground. Its construction was completed in 2020 and is run by the Chinese company Avic International.
6. Times Tower The 38-floor tower located in Nairobi’s CBD held the record for the tallest Kenyan building for 15 years and was surpassed by the UAP Tower. At 140 meters, it is one of the tallest buildings in Kenya and has the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) as its tenant.
7. Prism Tower The Prism Tower has been dubbed the multi-billion building nobody wants to occupy.
The tower has 34 floors above the ground and a height of 133 meters. Kings Developers was behind the construction of the KSh 1.2 billion building with a prism design.
8. Le’Mac Located in Westlands, Le’Mac is a 27-storey building owned by Mark Properties. With a height of 126 meters, it cost KSh 3.5 billion to construct. It’s a mixed-use building with residential units, offices and restaurants.
9. Parliament Tower Parliament Tower is a 26-story skyscraper in Nairobi that was constructed to host offices for members of parliament. The construction of the KSh 5.8 billion, 125-meter office block began in 2014 and is set for completion by the end of the year. It was funded by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
10. Teleposta Tower The 120-meter tower completed in 1999 is situated along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi’s CBD. It houses Telkom Kenya, the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Trade.
Source: Tuko.co.ke
