Kilimani is a mixed-use commercial and residential neighbourhood in the city of
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
.
Location
Kilimani is located approximately west of Nairobi's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...
, within
Westlands Sub-county. It is north of Woodley; east of
Kileleshwa, mainly separated by the Kirichwa River; the larger Kilimani sub-location encompasses the part of
Upper Hill (contains
Hurlingham and Caledonia estates), and the Kilimani estates.
Overview
Kilimani is a neighbourhood which houses a sizable segment of the upper middle income population of Nairobi. The neighbourhood has historically been primarily low-density residential, but since 2000 has become increasingly high-density mixed residential and commercial; both retail and offices. Some of the high-rise buildings have been built contrary to the county's bylaws and have been characterised as vertical slums due to them burdening the existing laid infrastructure. Residents of Kilimani and
Kileleshwa have also raised concerns about the increasing number of nightclubs in the areas.
In March 2024, Nairobi
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Johnson Sakaja proposed a
re-zoning that would allow the construction of buildings up to 75 floors in Kilimani,
Kilelelshwa, and
Lavington.
Points of interest
; Residencies
State House Nairobi, the official residence of the
President of Kenya
The president of the Republic of Kenya () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Kenya. The president is also the head of the executive branch of the Government of Kenya and is the commander-in-chief of the Kenya De ...
is located in Kilimani, on State House Road.
; Schools
(1) Kilimani Primary School, Milimani Primary School, St Hannah's School, St. Nicholas School, St Christophers School, Cavina School are all located in the neighborhood.
(2) The ''
Lycée Denis Diderot'', the French international school, is in Kilimani. It moved there in 1972. (3)
West Nairobi School, a Christian international school, opened in Kilimani in 1996 but moved to
Karen in 2000. (4) State House Girls' School is located on the grounds of State House Nairobi.
''Svenska Skolan'', the Swedish international school, is located in Kilimani.
; Banks
The headquarters of
Sidian Bank are located on Wood Avenue in Kilimani.
; Shopping malls
Adam's Arcade is the oldest shopping centre of its kind in neighbouring Woodley, Nairobi, Kenya, as well as East and Central Africa as a whole. Established in 1954 and completed in 1959 by Abdul Habib Adam.
Yaya Centre, in Hurlingham, is a shopping mall with over 100 retail shops.
; Parks
The Nairobi Arboretum, featuring more than 300 exotic and indigenous tree species, is located in Kilimani, adjacent to State House.
See also
*
List of cities in Kenya
This is a list of cities and towns in Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in ...
Notes
References
{{reflist, 30em
Suburbs of Nairobi
Nairobi