Runda

Suburb of Nairobi, Kenya

Place in Nairobi City, Kenya

Runda

Runda

Coordinates: 1°12′50″S 36°48′32″E﻿ / ﻿1.21389°S 36.80889°E﻿ / -1.21389; 36.80889[1]
Country| Kenya
County| Nairobi City
Sub-county| Westlands[a]
Elevation

| 1,727 m (5,666 ft)
Time zone| GMT + 3

Runda is an affluent neighbourhood located in the northern part of Nairobi. The name Runda was borrowed from the name of the coffee estate that existed in the area before it became a residential area;[b] [2] it is not an abbreviation for Reserved United Nations Development Area, as many think; the name "Runda" existed even before the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was formed and decided to have their headquarters in Nairobi in 1972. The coffee estate was owned by Runda Estates Ltd. Runda is one of the suburbs of the city of Nairobi, and is generally regarded as one of the richest suburbs.

## Overview

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It is bounded by Limuru Road to the west, Ruaka Road to the south, Kiambu Road to the east, and coffee plantations to the north. The area encompasses Closeburn Estate, Mimosa and Old Runda to the west, Mumwe and Whispers to the south, and New Runda and Muringa to the east. Recent developments have seen the greater Runda area expand and now include such developments as Runda Mhasibu and Runda Paradise to the north. It is separated from Nairobi city centre by the 2,500-acre Karura Forest. The landscape in Runda Estate ranges between 1,690 meters above sea level in low lying areas to 1,727 meters above sea level in elevated areas. The area occupied by Runda Estate (estimated to be 14km2) was once a large coffee estate owned by various firms with 3 coffee processing factories.[3]

Property in Runda ranks among the most exclusive and expensive in the country. According to BuyRentKenya, the price of 1 acre of land averages around Ksh 97 million, while a 4-bedroom townhouse typically costs approximately Ksh 120 million.[4]

## History

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Runda was developed in 1972 by the project due to demand when the United Nations Environment Programme Headquarters was built in Gigiri in the early 1970s. The first phase of the estate (Old Runda) was completed between 1972 and 1980.[5][6]

## Notes

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1. ^ Some northern areas in Runda are domiciled in Kiambu.
2. ^ Civil Appeal 70 of 1982."Civil Appeal 70 of 1982: (Simpson C.J., Potter and Kneller JJ.A.)". National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law). Republic of Kenya, Court of Appeal at Nairobi. 1983-06-17 [1983-05-18]. Retrieved 2021-04-14. "

* App licant: Industrial & Commercial Development Corporation vs Respondent: J. Kemuma Onyango & 3 Others
* Cases:

* Olivia Siqueira E Facho and another vs ER Sequeira and Others: * Appeal from the High Court at Nairobi, (Chesoni, J.). [1933] 15 KLR 34; * Ujagar Sing Runda Coffee Estates Ltd [1966] EA 263; * KM Muli for Appellant; SM Munikah for Respondents

## References

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As of this edit, this article uses content from "Runda Estate", which is licensed in a way that permits reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, but not under the GFDL. All relevant terms must be followed.

1. ^ "Runda, Kenya". Google Maps. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
2. ^ Civil Appeal of 1982; PDF with Metadata. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
3. ^ Livinginnairobi (29 December 2010). "Runda Estate". Jambonairobi. Jambo Nairobi. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
4. ^ Mbithe, Maureen (2018-11-18). "Runda Neighbourhood Guide". BuyRentKenya. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
5. ^ "Runda Estate Profile". Diaspora Property. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
6. ^ "The Pan Africa Group of Insurance Companies". African Financials. 2004. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.

## Further reading

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Background information

* "Runda Estate". Wanted in Africa.
* "Expat Housing in Nairobi". InterNations.
* Fassil Demissie (2012). Colonial Architecture and Urbanism in Africa: Intertwined and Contested Histories. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 341\. ISBN 978-0-7546-7512-9.

News and political information

* "Australian man killed in Runda, Nairobi". The Star. Kenya.
* Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008 Vol.1. Government Printing Office. p. 300\. ISBN 978-0-16-087515-1.
* Grant R. Jeffrey (24 March 2010). War on Terror: Unfolding Bible Prophecy. Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. p. 227\. ISBN 978-0-307-50862-1.