Why Nairobi is slowly turning into an 'economic rainforest'

Flats built along Gitanga road in Lavington taken on January 20, 2015. [File, Standard]

Amazon and Congo are two of the world’s biggest rainforests.

The rainforests are a major part of the rain cycle and lungs of the planet. It does not matter if we believe in climate change or not.  

One characteristic of the rainforests is the height of the trees. They grow tall, competing for sunshine.

After all, they have all the other ingredients in plenty: rich soil and water. Beyond trees, other plants and animals make rainforests their home.

It ranges from big mammals to insects; some, like mosquitoes, are enemies to our health. There are likely species in the rainforest that we have yet to discover.  

Nature lovers find the rainforest closest to a paradise on earth on creation day, more so for the religiously inclined.  

Where does Nairobi fit into the rainforest? Lately, the city, once dubbed the green city in the sun, is mimicking the rainforest. 

I remember finding that signboard near Uthiru when I visited Nairobi for the first time. If we replace it today, it should read “the grey city in the sun.”  

More high-rise buildings are gracing our city. They used to be office or commercial buildings. Residential buildings have joined the race to the top just like trees in the rainforest.

Living on the 20th floor is not unusual today, and soon on the 75th if bylaws allow. Other towns are not in the economic rainforest zone, building taller and taller houses.

They are still in the economic savannah or desert with uniform grasslands and shrubs. Have you noted that in your hometown? 

The tall buildings compete for views and money. The more the floors, the better the view before it’s blocked by others. Advertisers for the new high-rise buildings pretend that no other buildings will be put up next; they show only greenery.  

Why has Nairobi turned into a rainforest of houses? Where does the “rain” come from? 

The city’s rainforest is being fuelled by prestige and ego. The owners of such buildings compete to see who has a taller building, just as we compete on who has a bigger car, either physically or in engine size.

The car size is only limited by the width of the road. If we made roads wider, cars would become bigger. You would see private cars the size of six-wheelers.  

The rainforests of houses are limited in height by the laws, not technology. The skyscrapers in the Middle East demonstrate that we can keep pushing the frontiers of possibilities and technology in construction.  

Two, is money. Just like trees in the rainforest need water, tall buildings need money. The money comes from pooled savings, such as from Saccos, pensions, and banks. 

More money comes from abroad, from Kenyans in the diaspora and other investors seeking higher returns here. Some have boldly suggested nepotism and mysterious sources. 

Three, real estate is lucrative, attracting lots of money and for the selected few. Forget the “maguta maguta” (prime) plot sellers.

And it’s a good place to “clean money” too. How much money does illicit money get into real estate? Why does real estate in Nairobi seem unresponsive to economic cycles?

Three, land is scarce in Nairobi, making it expensive. One easy way to recoup your land costs is to build as high as you can. You also benefit from economies of scale. Add the demand for housing from emigrants into the city, from rural areas and other countries. 

Like rainforests, there is diversity of tall buildings in terms of design. There are even shrubs with an old building in between. The owners often hold on waiting for better prices or are sentimental about the house, often where they grew up.  

The Nairobi rainforest deviates from real rainforests in terms of drainage. Clean rainwater drains into the ocean through rivers.

The drainage system in the Nairobi economic rainforest is poor. Visit Nairobi and other rivers in the city and report on the water colour. 

Most drainages have been taken over by houses, even in the affluent suburbs, not just poor neighbourhoods like Mathare or Mukuru kwa Reuben and Njenga. Who were these characters who gave valleys their name? 

How tall will trees grow? The affluent suburbs of Nairobi are slowly becoming economic rainforests too.

Think of Spring Valley and Lavington. Curiously, modest places like Githurai are getting taller “economic trees.”  

What next? As houses or economic trees grow taller, the affluent will leave for new hiding places in the countryside or abroad.

In the long run, I fear Nairobi will become like the US’s inner cities. Devolution could have forestalled that, but it made Nairobi a better magnet. Make money anywhere, legally or illegally, and bring it to Nairobi.

It’s as if there is Nairobi and Kenya. Unless bylaws change or Nairobi gets a competitor, the rainforest of houses will expand, and house trees will grow taller.

You’d better make money from the economic rainforest before it loses its attraction through overcrowding and lack of services. Where in Nairobi’s economic rainforest do you live?