Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
. Located within the larger sub-county of
Embakasi
Embakasi is a neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi. It is approximately , southeast of the central business district. Embakasi is considered part of Nairobi's Eastlands area, lying to the south-east of Nairobi County. The Embakasi proper covers ...
and the Eastlands area of Nairobi. It is approximately east of Nairobi's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
. Umoja consists of three smaller neighbourhoods: Umoja I, Umoja II and Umoja Innercore.
Location
Umoja is located approximately east of Nairobi's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
, within the Eastlands area in
Embakasi
Embakasi is a neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi. It is approximately , southeast of the central business district. Embakasi is considered part of Nairobi's Eastlands area, lying to the south-east of Nairobi County. The Embakasi proper covers ...
. It neighbours other low
middle-income
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...
to
low-income
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little
Buruburu
Buruburu is a housing estate within Nairobi City County in Kenya. Buruburu is a vast development inhabited by lower middle-class people. The estate was designed in 1974 and comprises six phases, with the fifth completed in the mid-1980s. The estat ...
,
Donholm
Donholm or Doonholm is a commercial and residential neighbourhood in Nairobi. A legacy of what was a dairy farm with the same name, Donholm is a suburb in the Eastlands area of Nairobi. It is located east of the Nairobi central business distric ...
,
Kariobangi
Kariobangi is a low-income residential estate in northeastern Nairobi. It consists of both apartments and slum-type dwellings. The name Kariobangi is believed to have come from an English phrase "Carry your bags" that was used by a white settl ...
and Tena.
Overview
Umoja was commission by Nairobi City Commission to provide housing to the growing urban population. However, with the scarcity of funds, the council allowed residents to put up their own houses provided they are pay annual land rates. This saw Umoja and other neighbourhoods in Nairobi defying the initial
urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
, building on open spaces, a consequence of the corruption and impunity within the city council. Umoja is now a
high-density housing
An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ...
,
low-income
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little
middle-income
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...
neighbourhood in Nairobi. It is divided into three phases: South of Kangundo Road and East of Outer Ring Road, Umoja I covers the north and westerly parts, Umoja II to the east, with Umoja Innercore as some sort of enclave of the two.
As per the 2019 census, Umoja had a population of 140,216, with 64,256 in Umoja I and 75,960 in Umoja II. The neighbourhood had a population density of 44,547/km2 in a land area of 3.1km2.