Embakasi’s Airview Apartments

By Kevin Oguoko

Being close to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and the Eastern bypass, Embakasi has attracted interest from Nairobi’s working population, especially those who use these facilities frequently.

It is no surprise then that the majority of tenants in the Embakasi area are workers at JKIA and airlines operating from the airport, such as Kenya Airways.

Many of them bought plots and put up their own homes in Embakasi. This has been fuelled by improved infrastructural development in terms of water and the sewerage system.

Most homeowners here are mainly middle-class and middle-aged working professionals.

Those who bought land in this area in recent years were encouraged by the relatively cheaper prices. This has mainly been associated with the presence of black cotton soil, which makes the construction more costly as a lot of money is spent on excavating foundations.

The area has also attracted an array of related developments such as shopping malls like Taj Mall and Greenspan mall. Hospitals such as Gertrudes Children Hospital and branches of major hospitals like Mater Hospital in Taj Mall provide health services.

It is in this area that Airview Apartment is located. Situated in Embakasi Village, 100 metres from the Embakasi Police station, the project has apartments whose exterior appearance blends in well with other apartment blocks in the neighbourhood.

Embakasi apartments are known for their colourful exterior, a norm started by the now defunct City Council of Nairobi buildings for city council workers that are still in existence to date.

The new project has 60 two-bedroom units. On entering the apartments, attractive tiled floor welcome you. On the immediate left from the narrow corridor is an opening leading to the living room, while on the right is the opening to the kitchen.

kitchen

The kitchen is fitted with colourful closed wood kitchen cabinets. In between the kitchen sink and a working board are two open spaces, presumably left for a fridge and a cooker.

Here, however, is a challenge. According to this writer’s estimation, the space left for the fridge is only big enough to cater for a small size single door fridge while the space left for the gas cooker might not be sufficient for an average sized gas cooker.

A future owner of the apartment will be forced to take down the kitchen working board to have adequate space for both the fridge and gas cooker.

Leading outside the kitchen is a tile paved laundry space. However, there is no sill between the kitchen and laundry space, thus water can easily run off to the kitchen during washing.

The living room area is brightened by large windows that go along way in conserving electricity in the building, although there is not much to write home about the window design and the design of the curtain board as well.

The living room space is, however, spacious enough for a five-sitter sofa set and a small dining table for six people.

The apartments have separate bathrooms and toilet for each unit, with exquisite finishing, especially on the choice of taps.

In the bedroom, it is difficult to separate the master bedroom from the other bedroom as they are almost the same in appearance, finishing and size.

The closets of the bedroom are spacious enough and made of hardwood.

The apartments will be supplied with water from the Nairobi Water Sewerage Company as well as water from on-site boreholes.

The apartments also come with adequate parking space, with each unit having two parking lots. They also have solar water heaters that will provide hot water to the apartments.

price

Each unit is going for Sh5 million currently, off-plan. Compared to other apartments in the locality, the pricing is fair.

In Nyayo Embakasi, National Social Security Fund (NSSF) three-bedroom apartments are going for Sh6 million. A three-bedroom ensuite maisonette measuring approximately 1,500 square feet with a private garden and a servant quarter is going for Sh10.25 million at Greenspan, Donholm.

As for rental flats, the Greenspan maisonettes are currently fetching Sh45,000. Closer to Embakasi, a three-bedroom ensuite apartments in Nyayo estate is currently available for rent at Sh35,000.

Embakasi is clearly on the rise.