Kileleshwa is a residential neighbourhood in the city of

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

. It is located approximately from Nairobi's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...

. The neighbourhood was originally a low-density leafy suburb but after change in

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a s ...

regulations in the early 2000s, there has been significant mushrooming of high-rise flats in the area. It hosts mainly the middle income segment of the Nairobi residents.

Location

Kileleshwa is located approximately west of Nairobi's

, within the larger sub-county of

Westlands Westlands is an affluent, mixed-use commercial and residential neighbourhood in Nairobi. Location Westlands is located approximately , by road, northwest of the central business district of Nairobi. The geographical coordinates of the neighb ...

. It is east of Lavington; south of Muthangari; west of Kilimani, mainly separated by the Kirichwa River.

Overview

The neighbourhood was established as a whites-only residential area by the British colonialists in the mid 20th century. It was not until the 1960s when it was racially integrated. The neighbourhood has historically been primarily low-density residential, but since early 2000s, Kileleshwa and its environs have become increasingly high-density mixed residential and commercial; both retail and offices, due to the

zoning laws Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

in the area being changed. Kileleshwa, an electoral ward within the Dagoretti North Constituency, borrows its name from the estate, encompassing other estates and neighbourhoods such as: Chiromo, Groganville, Kileleshwa, Muthangari and Riverside. As per the 2019 census, Kileleshwa had a population of 22,216, with a population density of 4,229/km² in a land area of 5.3km².

Points of interest

; Schools The

Kenya High School The Kenya High School is a public girls' high school located on Mandera Road in the upmarket Kileleshwa suburb of Westlands Sub-County in Kenya's capital city, Nairobi. The school, which follows the national curriculum, is one of Kenya's 112 na ...

is located in Kileleshwa.

References

{{Nairobi, state=collapsed Suburbs of Nairobi Nairobi