NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 20 – 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 has found.
The research by the Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH), conducted by researcher Maurice Otieno, found that the challenge facing artists and other cultural practitioners 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 fell 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.
At the same time, 47 percent of cultural practitioners surveyed said they mainly work from home, while 35 percent considered their current workspace inadequate.
High rents were identified as the biggest barrier, with 78 percent of respondents saying commercial space was too expensive.
Another 69 percent cited rigid lease terms, while 65 percent said available spaces were not designed for cultural activities.
A further 62 percent said they lacked information about available spaces. The mismatch is also increasing costs for artists and event organisers, who often have to modify rented spaces before they can use them.
The study found that some event organisers spend up to 80 percent of their event budgets on flooring, soundproofing, staging, lighting and electricity to convert offices, warehouses and retail units into usable cultural venues.
The research also found limited trust between property owners and cultural practitioners. Only 11 to 12 percent of those surveyed said they believed landlords understood their needs or trusted them as tenants.
Landlords cited concerns including irregular income, potential property damage, noise and complaints from neighbours.
The study identifies five major barriers to access: high costs, inflexible leases, unsuitable buildings, regulatory requirements and limited trust and information between landlords and cultural practitioners.
Rather than constructing new buildings, the research recommends converting some of Nairobi’s existing vacant commercial properties into cultural spaces.
Potential locations include vacant upper floors in CBD buildings, pension fund-owned properties, peripheral malls and industrial buildings in areas such as Ngara, Ruaraka and South B.
The study proposes intermediary-led arrangements in which organisations aggregate demand from cultural practitioners and manage relationships with property owners.
Among the proposed solutions are 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, bringing together cultural practitioners, property-sector stakeholders and policymakers to discuss ways of improving access to commercial space.
