--- title: "CBD (Historic), Nairobi — Class A submarket" description: "Government and trade core." canonical: https://classa.info/cities/nairobi/cbd-historic pageType: neighborhood lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > CBD (Historic) is a prime-tier Class A submarket of Nairobi with average asking rent around KSh900/sqm/mo · ≈ $7.83 PSF/yr USD. ## TL;DR - Government and trade core. - Prime tier — ~KSh900/sqm/mo. - Active Class A leasing market with deal flow across major broker desks. # CBD (Historic), Nairobi — Class A submarket *Government and trade core.* · Tier: prime · Avg rent: KSh900/sqm/mo · ≈ $7.83 PSF/yr USD ## TL;DR - Government and trade core. - Prime tier — ~KSh900/sqm/mo. - Active [Class A](/glossary/class-a) leasing market with deal flow across major broker desks. ## Overview The historic CBD anchors Nairobi's government and trade core — heritage Class A, deep government tenancy, and traditional banking presence. ## Tenant profile Government, trade, banking, professional services. ## Typical specification 15–40,000 sqft floor plates available across newer Class A stock; 9'+ slab-to-slab and modern MEP common. ## Transit Nairobi Railway Station (SGR), bus. Multi-modal transit captures the metro's principal professional catchment. ## Amenities City Market, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Uhuru Park. ## Comparable buildings - **Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC)** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Kenyatta%20International%20Conference%20Centre%20(KICC)%2C%20Harambee%20Avenue%2C%20Nairobi%2000100%2C%20CBD%20(Historic)%2C%20Nairobi%2C%20Kenya&query_place_id=ChIJQW91fnQRLxgRR5sRjIlzaRQ) - **Times Tower** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Times%20Tower%2C%20Haile%20Selassie%20Avenue%2C%20Nairobi%2000100%2C%20CBD%20(Historic)%2C%20Nairobi%2C%20Kenya&query_place_id=ChIJPzCGldgQLxgRnM5FoBOxnCQ) - **I&M Bank Tower** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=I%26M%20Bank%20Tower%2C%20Kenyatta%20Avenue%2C%20Nairobi%2000100%2C%20CBD%20(Historic)%2C%20Nairobi%2C%20Kenya&query_place_id=ChIJp--0x9YQLxgRJch5Z-_T-D0) ## Where CBD (Historic) sits in Nairobi CBD (Historic) is one of 5 Class A submarkets we cover in Nairobi, classified as prime tier with an average asking rent around KSh900/sqm/mo · ≈ $7.83 PSF/yr USD. Compared with the broader Nairobi Class A stock, CBD (Historic) typically attracts Government, trade, banking, professional services and competes most directly with the city's other prime submarkets on building specification, transit access, and [amenitisation](/glossary/amenitisation). Adjacent submarkets to study alongside CBD (Historic): [Westlands](/cities/nairobi/westlands), [Upper Hill](/cities/nairobi/upper-hill), [Gigiri (UN Corridor)](/cities/nairobi/gigiri-un-corridor), [Mombasa Road & JKIA Corridor](/cities/nairobi/mombasa-road-jkia-corridor). The full Nairobi submarket atlas is at [/cities/nairobi](/cities/nairobi). ## Topic deep-dives for CBD (Historic) For an institutional Class A occupier evaluating CBD (Historic), the highest-leverage analyses to commission next are the rent benchmark, the concession-package comparable, and the ESG performance baseline. Class A Atlas covers each as a dedicated topic page for this submarket: - [CBD (Historic) — ](/cities/nairobi/cbd-historic/rents-and-availability) - [CBD (Historic) — ](/cities/nairobi/cbd-historic/tenant-profile) - [CBD (Historic) — ](/cities/nairobi/cbd-historic/transit-and-commute) - [CBD (Historic) — ](/cities/nairobi/cbd-historic/amenity-and-lifestyle) - [CBD (Historic) — ](/cities/nairobi/cbd-historic/trophy-and-comparables) - [CBD (Historic) — ](/cities/nairobi/cbd-historic/fit-out-and-spec) ## Related glossary Terminology specific to Nairobi Class A leasing and to the prime tier: [Class A](/glossary/class-a), [Trophy asset](/glossary/trophy-asset), [Effective rent](/glossary/effective-rent), [Concession package](/glossary/concession-package), [TI allowance](/glossary/ti-allowance), [Submarket tier](/glossary/submarket-tier). ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Samuel Okafor**](/about/authors/samuel-okafor) — EMEA contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) ## Related topics - [**Class A Lease Negotiation**](/topics/class-a-lease-negotiation) — How to negotiate a Class A office lease — the playbook from LOI to signed deal. - [**Hybrid Workplace Strategy**](/topics/hybrid-workplace-strategy) — How to size, structure, and lease a Class A office for a hybrid workforce. - [**ESG / LEED for Tenants**](/topics/esg-leed-tenants) — How tenants evaluate, negotiate, and report on ESG performance in a Class A office lease. - [**Cross-border Expansion**](/topics/cross-border-expansion) — How to run a coordinated Class A office search across multiple geographies. - [**Fit-out Capex**](/topics/fit-out-capex) — How to budget, sequence, and govern Class A office [fit-out](/topics/fit-out-capex)">fit-out capex. - [**Lease vs Flex**](/topics/lease-vs-flex) — When premium flex (coworking, [managed office](/glossary/managed-office)) beats a conventional Class A lease — and vice versa. --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/cities/nairobi/cbd-historic), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.