Runda is an affluent neighbourhood located in the northern part of

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 ...

. The name Runda was borrowed from the name of the coffee estate that existed in the area before it became a residential area; it is an abbreviation for Reserved United Nations Development Area. The coffee estate was owned by Runda Estates Ltd. Runda is one of the suburbs of the city of

, the capital and largest city in

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. It is generally regarded as one of the richest suburbs in Kenya.

Overview

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 has 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 Karura Forest is an urban forest in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The forest was gazetted in 1932UNEPKenya, Atlas of our changing environment – Chapter 5Page 158 and is managed by the Kenya Forest ServiceKenya Forest ServiceSecuring K ...

. 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.

History

Runda was developed in 1972 by the project due to demand that when

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...

Headquarters was built in Gigiri in the early 1970s. The first phase of the estate (Old Runda) was completed between 1972 and 1980.

Overview

History

References

Further reading