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The Standard.
16th February 2011
Home > Home and Away
An Asian estate with rich history
By Allan Olingo
Established in the late 1930s, Parklands has grown to be amongst Nairobi’s most sought after commercial and residential suburb due to its proximity to the city centre. The area houses the upper middle class and Kenya’s vibrant Asian business community and, therefore, offers a melting point of sorts.
Most of Parklands housing architecture has strong Asian influence, even though there is also an upward growth in many modern apartments within this estate. Parklands is a part of Westlands and famed as one of the places where His Highness the Aga Khan spent his early childhood. This probably explains the presence of Aga Khan School and even the Aga Khan University Hospital.
The Kenya Hockey Union, the Parklands Sports Club and the Nairobi Gymkhana are some of the notable upmarket sports facilities in the area. The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) and the KenGen headquarters along the Limuru Road of Parklands area stand out in this estate.
A commercial unit in Parklands. [PHOTOS: EVANS HABIL / STANDARD]
Kenyatta University School of Law campus, the University of Nairobi’s Law campus and the Aga Khan University are educational institutions that have found home in this quiet Asian hood. Residents too have easy access to the Aga Khan Hospital along Limuru Road, the Guru Nanak Hospital along Muranga Road and Parklands Kidney Centre for health services with many private clinics dotting the area.
Parklands is also home to some of the city’s famous nightlife joints like the famous K1 Klub House on Ojijo Road. There is also the Oil Libya petrol station along Limuru road, which hosts Galitos, Chicken Inn amongst others.
Property boom
With its proximity to the city centre and sitting in the midst of social amenities, Parklands has experienced a property boom with an increased construction of apartments in the area, driven by high demand and limited space. These are then sold per unit. The construction of the Thika Road Bypass cutting through Parklands has tilted property scale in the area with expected increase in both rental and for sale units. The current price of a single bedroom apartment is around Sh6.5million, with a two bedroom house going for Sh8 million while a three-bedroom apartment fetches around Sh10 million on the lower side. Even though there is an upsurge in construction of modern apartments, the old Indian houses still give this estate a blend of the modern and old tastes.
Served by Parklands Police Station, it is a relatively low crime area even though residents who live along Forest Road have become a soft target for criminals.