Nairobi has space for culture, but access remains a challenge, research finds Nairobi has significant unused commercial property that could provide space for cultural practitioners, but affordability, rigid lease terms and a lack of suitable facilities are limiting access, research released today shows.
The study, commissioned by the Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH) and conducted by researcher Maurice Otieno, surveyed 86 cultural practitioners and included focus groups and interviews with venue operators, cultural institutions and property-market actors.
The findings are being presented at a public forum, “A Space for Culture”, on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at Mageuzi Hub, Metropolitan Court, off Argwings Kodhek Road in Nairobi.
“Nairobi has the space. The challenge is making it accessible,” the research says.
A TICAH spokesperson said the findings challenge the view that cultural practitioners struggle to find space because there is not enough of it.
“There's a persistent assumption that Nairobi's cultural practitioners can't find space because there isn't enough of it,” said a TICAH spokesperson.
“Our research tells a different story. The commercial property sector has significant unused capacity. What's missing is a working relationship between that capacity and the people who most need it.”
According to commercial property data reviewed by the study, Nairobi's office market had an estimated 5.7 million square feet of oversupply in 2024, falling to 3.4 million square feet in 2025.
The study also says some buildings in the Central Business District reported vacancy of up to 70 per cent on upper floors, while peripheral malls had significant empty space.
At the same time, 47 per cent of the cultural practitioners surveyed said they work primarily from home, while 35 per cent considered their current workspace inadequate.
The study found that 78 per cent cited high rent as a challenge, while 69 per cent pointed to rigid lease terms.
Another 65 per cent said available spaces were not designed for cultural work, while 62 per cent cited a lack of information about available spaces.
The research describes the situation as a mismatch between commercial property and the needs of cultural practitioners, rather than a shortage of physical space.
Cost of adapting spaces
The study says cultural practitioners also incur additional costs when using commercial spaces that were not designed for their activities. Artists and event organisers reported spending up to 80 per cent of their event budgets on flooring, soundproofing, staging, lighting and electricity to convert offices, warehouses and retail units into usable venues.
The research also found limited trust between cultural practitioners and landlords. Only 11 to 12 per cent of those surveyed said they believed landlords understood their needs or trusted them as tenants.
The study says landlords cited irregular income, property damage, noise and complaints from neighbours as reasons for hesitation. It identifies five main barriers: affordability, rigid leases, poor physical fit, regulatory requirements, and gaps in trust and information.
Proposed use of vacant space
Rather than constructing new facilities, the research proposes converting existing underused commercial property into cultural spaces. It identifies upper floors of CBD buildings with high vacancy and good transport access, pension fund-owned buildings, peripheral and secondary malls, industrial and former-industrial properties in areas such as Ngara, Ruaraka and South B, and underused private residential compounds as potential spaces.
The study proposes three priority zones for cultural-space development: Westlands and Upper Hill for established cultural hubs; the CBD and Mombasa Road corridor for affordable space; and Ngara, Ruaraka and Eastlands for production, rehearsal and maker spaces.
It also recommends intermediary-led models in which trusted organisations aggregate demand and manage relationships with landlords. Among the proposals are master leases, structured trust pilots, a cultural-space directory, flexible lease arrangements, simplified NEMA and county licensing, and longer-term cultural land trusts.
“This is not a call to build our way out of the problem. It's a call to unlock what's already standing empty, and to build the trust and mechanisms that let cultural practitioners actually use it.” The TICAH spokesperson said.
The forum will bring together cultural practitioners, property-sector stakeholders and policymakers to discuss the findings and possible next steps for Nairobi.
The event is scheduled to run from 4 pm to 7 pm, with Otieno presenting the research findings.
