Moving to Nairobi, Kenya - Page 2

[Min Toto]

Originally Posted by ummamamma 

My husbands work is based in the Westlands area, but we have not chosen a location to live yet. Is living near Karen out of the question for a commute to Westlands?  Are there any neighborhoods to consider between Karen and Westlands that you know of?

Thank you!  It is so comforting to connect with someone on the ground who can give info on things like this!

Ummamamma

 

Like someone mentioned earlier, traffic in Nairobi is truly horrendous. You haven't experienced a a traffic jam quite like this. So I personally find it least stressful to live, play and school as close to work as possible. Westlands is very built up; I suggest Brookside/Grevillea in Westlands: nice quiet family friendly environment. Peponi Road isn't bad either. You may even consider Riverside Drive although thats starting to move away from Westlands and really the absolute furthest you want to live is the suburb of Lavington.

Karen is wonderful and in terms of distance isn't that far away from Westlands but in traffic miles, it's light years away.

[Durty Bird]

How exciting! Nairobi is a wonderful place to live and a great jump-off spot with access to so many other wonderful places in and around East Africa. There are several key areas of town that ex-pats generally congregate in depending on where they work since proximity to one's job is paramount in Nairobi considering the horrendous traffic, and, each such section of town has a few select schools that most ex-pats choose. That being said the first and most critical decision is determining where in Nairobi you want to live and in an effort to get that question answered I've had a number of colleagues and friends mention this website http://www.moving2nairobi.com, and say great things. Apparently its this former real estate attorney from the states who is in Nairobi now and offers reasonable, set-price packages of services to expats to assist them in finding places to live, getting set-up, etc. I've only heard glowing reports so it may be worth checking it out. Best of luck on this new adventure!