Kilimani and Lavington Nairobi’s newest ghetto according to Gloria Ntazola
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on October 29, 2025
Kenyan digital creator Ntazola Gloria has ignited a lively online discussion after criticizing what she calls the “ghettoization” of Nairobi’s once-prestigious estates, accusing real estate developers of charging exorbitant prices for substandard apartments while disregarding proper urban planning principles.
In a series of posts shared on her Instagram Stories, Gloria voiced her frustration over the deteriorating living standards in upscale areas such as Kilimani, Lavington, and Kileleshwa, where tenants now pay up to KSh 80,000 for units she described as “poorly built and overcrowded.”
“Right now, if you live in Kilimani, Lavington, Kileleshwa etc., it’s becoming like those U.S. ‘blocks’—long corridors, doors facing each other like dormitories,” she wrote.
“Imagine paying over 80k to live in a block. With poor house plans and open kitchens, you can’t even cook in peace.”
“Expensive Slums” and Endless Construction
Gloria went on to slam the unchecked construction frenzy in these formerly exclusive neighborhoods, accusing developers of cramming towering buildings into tiny plots without regard for infrastructure, privacy, or aesthetics.
“I’m not kidding — there’s construction everywhere. You can’t drive three minutes without spotting a new building going up, some even 20 storeys high. They’re so close together it looks like expensive slums,” she said.
The influencer lamented that residents not only deal with poor designs but also endure relentless noise pollution, dust, and chaos from continuous construction activity.
“You can’t sleep; they’re always drilling something. The cheapest one-bedroom here goes for 65k, the rest up to 250k — and yet you wake up to drilling at 7 a.m.,” she complained.
“Kilimani Is the Ghetto of the Ghettoest”
In a follow-up post, Gloria took aim at the perception that living in areas like Kilimani or Lavington still represents affluence. She bluntly dismissed that idea, saying the neighborhoods have lost their former prestige.
“Nobody should ever tell you living here is a certain class. It’s not. It’s the ghetto of the ghettoest. Even the roads are terrible — full of potholes, bumpy everywhere,” she declared.
Her comments struck a chord with many Nairobi residents, who echoed similar sentiments about the city’s rapid, unplanned urban sprawl, rising rent prices, and declining living conditions in what were once Nairobi’s most desirable addresses.
