Kenya: Nairobi Cultural Sector Faces Space Access Challenge Despite Commercial Property Oversupply

Nairobi's cultural practitioners are struggling to access affordable and suitable workspaces despite a large amount of vacant commercial property in the city. A new study by the Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH), conducted by researcher Maurice Otieno, reveals that the main challenge is not a lack of physical space but limited access to available commercial properties. The study surveyed 86 cultural practitioners and included interviews and focus group discussions with venue operators, cultural institutions, and property-market players. According to commercial property data reviewed by the study, Nairobi had an estimated 5.7 million square feet of excess office space in 2024, which reduced to 3.4 million square feet in 2025. Some buildings in the Central Business District reported vacancy rates of up to 70 percent on upper floors, while peripheral malls also had significant vacant space. Meanwhile, 47 percent of cultural practitioners surveyed work mainly from home, and 35 percent find their current workspace inadequate. High rents (78 percent) and rigid lease terms (69 percent) are the biggest barriers. Additionally, 65 percent of respondents noted that available spaces were not designed for cultural activities, and 62 percent lacked information about available spaces. The mismatch increases costs for artists and event organizers, who often spend up to 80 percent of their event budgets on modifications like flooring, soundproofing, staging, lighting, and electricity to convert offices, warehouses, and retail units into usable cultural venues. The study identifies five major barriers: high costs, inflexible leases, unsuitable buildings, regulatory requirements, and limited trust and information between landlords and cultural practitioners. Landlords cite concerns such as irregular income, potential property damage, noise, and neighbor complaints. The research recommends converting existing vacant commercial properties into cultural spaces, such as vacant upper floors in CBD buildings, pension fund-owned properties, and industrial buildings in areas like Ngara, Ruaraka, and South B. It also proposes intermediary-led arrangements where organizations aggregate demand from cultural practitioners and manage relationships with property owners. Solutions include master leases, cultural-space directories, flexible lease arrangements, simplified licensing processes, and longer-term cultural land trusts. The findings were presented at the 'A Space for Culture' public forum held on Thursday at Mageuzi Hub in Nairobi, involving cultural practitioners, property-sector stakeholders, and policymakers to discuss improving access to commercial space.