--- title: "Energy and commodities office space in Nairobi" description: "Where energy and commodities occupiers cluster in Nairobi, what they pay, and what the typical fit-out looks like." canonical: https://classa.info/cities/nairobi/industries/energy-commodities pageType: city-industry lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > Energy and commodities occupiers in Nairobi typically cluster in Westlands, plan ~240 sqft per seat at trophy fit-out ($16000–24000/sqft), and pay around 1300 KES/sqft ($11 USD) on Class A. ## TL;DR - Preferred submarket: Westlands. - Typical fit-out spec: Trophy ($16000–24000/sqft). - Plan ~240 sqft per seat for headcount sizing. - Class A rent context: 1300 KES/sqft ($11 USD). - Typical lease: 5 years with 6 months rent-free. - Talent depth in Nairobi: 72/100. # Energy and commodities office space in Nairobi **Energy and commodities occupiers in Nairobi typically cluster in Westlands, plan ~240 sqft per seat at trophy [fit-out](/topics/fit-out-capex)">fit-out ($16000–24000/sqft), and pay around 1300 KES/sqft ($11 USD) on [Class A](/glossary/class-a).** ## TL;DR - Preferred submarket: Westlands. - Typical fit-out spec: Trophy ($16000–24000/sqft). - Plan ~240 sqft per seat for headcount sizing. - Class A rent context: 1300 KES/sqft ($11 USD). - Typical lease: 5 years with 6 months rent-free. - Talent depth in Nairobi: 72/100. ## Where they cluster Energy and commodities occupiers in Nairobi typically anchor in Westlands. Tech (Safaricom-adjacent), banking, multinational HQs, professional services. ## What they pay Class A rent in Nairobi runs 1300 KES/sqft ($11 USD) on a 5-year lease with 6 months free. Trophy submarkets command a 20–40% premium above the city index. ## Spec and fit-out Typical energy and commodities fit-out targets trophy specification at $16000–24000/sqft. Bespoke design, signature feature, top-tier MEP and acoustic packages are standard. ## Headcount sizing Plan around 240 sqft per seat blended (workstation + circulation + amenity). A 100-headcount energy office in Nairobi typically targets 24,000 sqft of leasable area. ## Talent angle Trading floors concentrate in CBD trophy product with redundant power and connectivity; engineering teams scale in suburban energy corridors. Deep mobile money / fintech, NGO, and African operations talent. Strong English and Swahili bilingual professional base. Strong feed from University of Nairobi, Strathmore, and JKUAT. ## Tax and lease context Headline corporate tax: 30%. Net leases. 5-6 year terms with escalation clauses. Free rent of 4-8 months and TI of KES 4,000-7,000/sqm typical. ## Key facts | city | Nairobi| | industry | Energy and commodities| | naics | 211, 212, 523130| | preferredSubmarket | Westlands| | preferredFitoutSpec | Trophy| | fitoutBand | $16000–24000/sqft| | sqftPerSeat | 240| | classARentLocal | 1300 KES/sqft/yr| | classARentUsd | $11/sqft/yr| | vacancyPct | 21.4%| | typicalLeaseYears | 5| | typicalRentFreeMonths | 6| | talentIndex | 72| | corporateTaxPct | 30%| ## Frequently asked questions ****Where do energy and commodities occupiers lease office space in Nairobi?**** : Most cluster in Westlands. Rent runs ~1300 KES/sqft ($11 USD) for trophy and prime stock. ****What fit-out spec do energy and commodities occupiers run in Nairobi?**** : Typically trophy at $16000–24000/sqft. ****How much office space per seat should a energy and commodities occupier plan in Nairobi?**** : Plan ~240 sqft per seat blended. A 100-person team typically takes 24,000 sqft. ****What NAICS codes describe the energy and commodities vertical?**** : Representative NAICS 2022 codes: 211, 212, 523130. ****What is the talent index in Nairobi?**** : 72/100. Use the city profile for full detail. ## Related - [**Energy and commodities — global overview**](/industries/energy-commodities) - [**Nairobi — full city profile**](/cities/nairobi) - [**Financial services in Nairobi**](/cities/nairobi/industries/financial-services) - [**Asset management in Nairobi**](/cities/nairobi/industries/asset-management) - [**Investment banking in Nairobi**](/cities/nairobi/industries/investment-banking) - [**Legal services in Nairobi**](/cities/nairobi/industries/legal-services) ## 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 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/industries/energy-commodities), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.