The Muthaiga estate in Nairobi has over the years been referred to as the Beverly Hills of Kenya, and exclusive estate where only people of high standing are welcome to settle in and develop their property.
The estate was named after the African greenheart tree, which according to the Agikuyu, is a cure-all charm for every many ailments and bad luck.
It was in Muthaiga that former President Mwai Kibaki used to play golf, and also where the reclusive billionaire Jimi Wanjigi has a home. Also associated with the exclusive estate is billionaire Manu Chandaria and the country's maiden First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta.
According to Mansion Global, an international magazine that deals with matters property world over, high-net-worth individuals, business owners and ambassadors from the international community prefer to live in Muthaiga.
Nili Dodhia and Sansi Dietz, real estate brokers, told Mansion Global that single-family houses on a half-acre property in Muthaiga range from Ksh120 million for an old homes to Ksh250 million for newly constructed ones.
The brokers also stated that the value of land per acre in the region ranges from Ksh160 million to Ksh280 million, with the highest prices being in the main square whose boundaries are Tchui Road, Naivasha Avenue, Mutundu Road and Serengeti Avenue.
Although each house in the estate is as different as the next, many have three similar characteristics; a swimming pool, a guest house, and a large garden.
The estate is also home to the much famed Muthaiga Golf Club which was founded in the 1920s, with its elite members referring to it as the “Home of Golf”.
The golf club is an 18-hole championship course that winds through Karura Forest and is considered “one of the most prestigious and challenging golf courses in the region.
Though there are no schools in Muthaiga, some of the top international schools can be found in its vicinity.
In addition to a heavy contigent of local police conducting patrols every now and again, the neighborhood is protected by a variety of private security forces hired by its high-profile residents.
Muthaiga boasts embassies of Belgium, Ukraine, Austria and Saudi Arabia, and the High Commission of Ghana.
