GLORIA NTAZOLA AND LAURA MBATHA CRITIQUE NAIROBI’S HOUSING CRISIS
“Expensive Slums” and “Foreign Jail Cells”Nairobi’s housing market has come under sharp scrutiny from well-known digital creators Gloria Ntazola and Laura Mbatha, who have collectively ignited a heated online debate over the state of residential living in the city’s once-prestigious neighborhoods.
Both influencers express deep frustration with what they describe as substandard, overpriced housing, painting a dismal picture of Nairobi’s modern apartments.
Gloria Ntazola recently voiced her discontent on social media about the “ghettoization” of upscale areas like Kilimani, Lavington, and Kileleshwa.
According to Ntazola, residents are charged exorbitant rents up to KSh 80,000 for “poorly built and overcrowded” apartments.
She harshly criticized the urban planning by real estate developers who cram tall buildings into small plots without regard for space, privacy, or residents’ comfort.
Ntazola likened these neighborhoods to “U.S. blocks,” featuring long corridors and doors facing each other like dormitories, and dubbed Kilimani the “ghetto of the ghettoest.”
She also highlighted the relentless construction noise and dust pollution that residents endure daily, revealing that some one-bedroom apartments fetch rents as high as KSh 250,000 despite these conditions.
Similarly, media personality Laura Mbatha criticized Nairobi’s soaring rental market, particularly targeting “tiny, lifeless” apartments.
She expressed incredulity over tenants paying premium rents around KSh 70,000 for units she bluntly described as resembling “foreign jail cells.”
Mbatha emphasized the mismatch between rental prices and housing quality, pointing out that many apartments lack comfortable living spaces and character.
Her vivid analogy of balconies being like “baby courts” resonated widely, especially with young professionals who feel trapped in confined spaces marketed as luxury living.
Mbatha’s critique sheds light on the affordability crisis and declining construction standards in affluent Nairobi neighborhoods such as Kileleshwa.
Together, Ntazola and Mbatha’s sentiments underpin growing disillusionment among Nairobi residents over the city’s housing market.
Where there was once promise of upscale living, dense, poorly planned high-rises now dominate the landscape, forcing tenants to pay top shilling for cramped, noisy, and often uncomfortable homes.
Their voices add to the urgent conversation on how Nairobi can address the pressing need for affordable, quality housing that respects both residents’ dignity and urban development principles.