Pangani in 2024: Affordable Houses, Business Ideas & What to Expect When You Relocate

Ngara, Nairobi

In this guide, I’ll show you places where you’ll find affordable rental houses in Pangani.

I’ll also tell you what businesses you can invest in.

It’s perfect if you are not familiar with Pangani, and you want to avoid getting scammed by fake agents.

If this sounds like you, don’t worry. I will show you where to find affordable bedsitters, 1 (one) and 2 (two) bedroom houses in Pangani.

Say, for example, you want a Ksh. 10,000 bedsitter. Use this guide to identify the places that have a bedsitter going for Ksh. 10,000 or less, then go there and see if one is vacant. Or send someone to check for you.

Please note that all prices are in Kenya Shillings (Ksh.) per month.

Highlights

I’ll show you where to find:

          •Bedsitters 10,000

          •1 bedroom 14,000

Advertise Pangani

Is Pangani a good place to live?

Before we dive into places where you’ll find affordable rental houses, let’s take a closer look at Pangani.

How is life in Pangani?

The rent you’ll pay is one piece of the puzzle.

Daily fare, commuting time, food prices, water availability, and security are other factors you should consider.

So what is it like living there? This is what to expect when you relocate to Pangani.

Where is Pangani located in Nairobi?

From Nairobi CBD, Pangani is located after Ngara and just before reaching Eastleigh.

How far is Pangani from Nairobi?

The distance from Odeon Cinema to Pangani Shopping Centre through Murang’a Road is 4.4 Km.

Is Pangani part of Eastleigh?

No. Pangani boarders Eastleigh, but it’s not part of it.

Where do I board matatu to Pangani?

The Pangani matatu stage in Nairobi is located opposite the Fire Station near Koja stage. 

Fare from Nairobi Town to Pangani

Ksh. 50.

Let’s do the math. If you commute daily to town in the morning and get back in the evening, this is how your budget will look like:

(50×2) x 5 days = 500

500 x 4 weeks = 2,000

In addition to rent, you’ll spend approximately Ksh. 2,000 in fares per month if you decide to live in Panagani.

Matatus at Pangani matatu stage charge 40 bob to town but are active in the morning.

Walking as an alternative

You can walk from Pangani to town.

It took me exactly 30 minutes to walk from Pangani Shopping Center, through Park Road Ngara and Accra Road to Kenya National Archives.

Traffic jam pain points

The main traffic jam pain point is the Globe roundabout.

Water availability

I talked to 10 residents about water availability in Pangani.

4 out of 10 said they had water throughout. 

The other 6 said they get water only 2 days a week, that is on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s important to note that these are the residents staying in older buildings.

Newer buildings have storage tanks big enough to ensure there’s water throughout.

Food prices in Pangani

What do residents feel about the price of groceries here?

4 of 10 people I talked to said they felt that food prices in Pangani are average.

The other 6 said food prices are high. They said that they get cheap foodstuff from the nearby Mlango Kubwa market.

Is Pangani safe?

In 2023, there were two cases of insecurity in Pangani reported in the media. Read about them here and here.

So far in 2024, there are none.

What about unreported cases?

For the unreported cases, I talked to the residents.

5 out of the 10 people I talked to said theft of mobile phones is rampant in the lower side of Pangani.

The thieves use bodaboda to snatch and get away. 

What residents love about Pangani

“Good, good security.”

“Nice, modern houses.”

“Good for business.”

“People are social.”

“Cool place.”

What residents don’t like about Pangani

“Dirty roads.”

“Poor drainage system.”

“Poor roads inside the estate.”

“Expensive groceries.”

“Expensive rents, both for residential and business houses.”

Business ideas

If you’re thinking of starting a business in Pangani, think of the following:

•Remember Mejja’s lyric “Twende Pangani tuchane majani…” Yep, a muguka/miraa joint. Pangani is a popular chill spot, even for celebrities.

Food business (Shawarma, beverages, meat grill, cafe, restaurant).

Online cab or taxi

Chemist

Grocery store (kibanda)

Wholesale shop

Mamafua

Places in Pangani you’ll find affordable rental houses

If you think rental houses in Ngara are expensive, wait till you get to Pangani.

Boy, you’ll be amazed.

I tried to find houses that were affordable to the common mwananchi but almost everywhere I went, rent prices were astronomical.

There were only two places I found “affordable” houses: near the small matatu stage and Mtoni area.

Rental house near Pangani matatu stage

Along Northview Road you’ll find:

     •Bedsitters 16,500 ; 17,500 ; 18,000

     •1 bedroom 21,400 ; 23,600

Rental houses in Mtoni area

Rental houses at Mtoni area Pangani Nairobi

This is the cheapest area you’ll find affordable houses in Pangani.

Here you’ll find:

     •Bedsitters 10,000 ; 11,000 ; 14,500 ; 15,000

     •1 bedroom 14,000 ; 15,000 ; 18,500 ; 20,000

Your search for cheap houses will eventually land you here.

Rental houses in Mlango Kubwa Nairobi

This is Mlango Kubwa.

Here is how it looks from Juja Road.

New look Mlango Kubwa roundabout

This is the most affordable place near Pangani for rental houses. The biggest challenge here is insecurity.

The good thing is that you’ll find plenty of single rooms ranging from 4,000 to 4,500 and bedsitters 7,000  to 8,000.

1 bedroom houses are not common here, mostly it’s double rooms ranging from 8,000 to 10, 000 per month.

See the guide for Marurui.


About the author

Lenny Kamwara Pic

Lenny is a content producer based in Nairobi, Kenya. A TV Production graduate from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, KIMC.


More