Tallest buildings in Kenya

A number of tall buildings have been coming up significantly throughout the African continent over the last few decades. Kenya is among the top 10 countries with the tallest buildings on the continent.

Most of the tallest buildings in Kenya are found in Nairobi, the capital and largest city in the country. There are approximately 18 buildings in the city that stand taller than 80 metres.  Several are still under construction.

That said, below are the top 10 tallest buildings in Kenya.

Top 10 tallest buildings in Kenya

1. Britam Tower in Nairobi (height 200.1 meters)
2. GTC Office Tower in Nairobi (height 184 meters)
3. UAP Old Mutual Tower in Nairobi (height 163 meters)
4. GTC Hotel Tower in Nairobi (height 143 meters)
5. Times Tower in Nairobi (height 140 meters)
6. Prism Tower in Nairobi (height 133 meters)
7. GTC Residential 1 in Nairobi (height 133 meters)
8. Teleposta Towers in Nairobi (height 120 meters)
9. Kenya Commercial Bank Plaza in Nairobi (height 109.1 meters)
10. Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi (height 105.2 meters)

1. Britam Tower

Britam Tower was built as a commercial tower and is owned by British-American Investments Company. The skyscraper has a maximum height of 195 metres, above ground, with 32 usable floors. It is the tallest building in Kenya and the second-tallest building in Africa with a pinnacle height of 200.1 meters.

The building is the international headquarters of Britam. It features a unique prismatic shape that starts as an equal four-sided square footprint and ends with a two-sided roof with a 60 metres mast, containing three helical wind turbines.

Britam Tower has a total of 350,000 square feet of office space to let for commercial purposes. The building has an attached 12-storey Car park that can accommodate up to 1,000 vehicles which cater to its many tenants.

2. Global Trade Centre (GTC) Office Tower

The Global Trade Centre (GTC) Office Tower is the tallest of the towers at the Global Trade Centre in Nairobi. Global Trade Centre (GTC) is a mixed-use development in Westlands that consists of a cluster of 6 towers.

Owned by the multinational holding company Avic International the skyscraper is the second tallest building in Kenya after the Britam Tower. It rises 184 metres above ground and features a total of 42 floors.

3. UAP Tower

UAP Old Mutual Tower is a 33-storey office complex in the Upper Hill neighbourhood of Nairobi, Kenya. It is owned by UAP Old Mutual Group, a financial services conglomerate headquartered in Kenya, with subsidiaries in six African countries.

The tower is the third-tallest building in Kenya at 163 meters. Standing at an altitude of 5,700 feet above sea level, UAP Old Mutual Tower unseated Rahimtulla Tower as the highest point in Nairobi.

It has a rentable space of 29,000 square metres.

4. Nairobi GTC Hotel Tower

Nairobi GTC Hotel Tower is a one-bedroom hotel condo located in Nairobis’ Wetlands area. The tower is the second tallest of the six towers of the aforementioned Global Trade Centre. It is 143 meters tall and it features 317 guestrooms, 51 serviced apartments, a grand ballroom and 7 conference rooms.

Home to the star-studded US chain JW Marriott hotel that is operated by Marriott International, Nairobi GTC Hotel Tower construction began back in July 2015 and it was opened in 2021.

5. The Times Tower

The Times Tower, infamously known as the New Central Bank Tower, is an office tower in Nairobi. At 140 metres the tower is the 5th tallest building in Kenya.  It has a total of 38 floors, along with a 7-storey banking complex and an 11-split-storey car park.

The building is designed to resist earthquakes and is set on a concrete raft varying in thickness from 0.9 to 3.0 meters. The only tenant of the building is the Kenya Revenue Authority, which uses it for tax remissions and administration. Additionally, Times Tower serves as a location for taxpayer education.

6. Prism Tower

The 29-storey Prism Tower by Kings Developers commands Nairobi’s skyline at 133 metres with its design of prisms that appear stacked upon prisms.

The concept of the prism is the inspiration for the design and architecture behind the making of this iconic tower. During the sunrise and sunset, when the sun emits golden rays, the vivid colours create the magical facets of a fine-cut jewel.

7. GTC Residential 1

This is one and the tallest of the four apartment towers, Tower A, B, C & D, at the Global Trade Centre which has produced a total of three buildings in this list. GTC Residential 1 or rather Tower A is approximately 133 meters tall.

The building has the same height as the prism tower at number 6. The only difference is that GTC Residential 1 has a total of 30 storeys. The tower exclusively features 3 bedroom units, 4 units per floor.

8. Teleposta Towers

Situated down Kenyatta Avenue in the heart of Nairobi, this is 120 metres tall building with a total of 27 floors.

Construction of the Teleposta Towers was completed in 1999 after being started in 1996. It was designed by Anthony Gleeson and constructed by Laxmanbhai Construction.

The building houses Telkom Kenya and Kenya’s Ministry of Information and Communications and Kenya’s Ministry of Trade.

9. Kenya Commercial Bank Plaza (KCB Plaza)

The skyscraper is located in Upper Hill, Nairobi and has twenty-one storeys consisting of approximately 171,800 square feet of rentable office space and enough parking for about four hundred and fifty automobiles. Kenya Commercial Bank Group is the main tenant.

Construction of the 109.1 meters building began in December 2010 and was completed in 2015. The main contractor was China Wu Yi Company Limited.

The building is fitted with solar panels to supplement the power from the national grid. It also has the ability to harvest and treat rainwater for use in the building. It is also fitted with water recycling capability, thereby reducing the cost of running the skyscraper.

10. The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC)

The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), formerly the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, is a 28-story building at 105.2 metres. It is located in the City Square of Nairobi and is a crucial address for a number of Government offices, including those of elected Senators.

It is an internationally renowned venue for conferences, meetings, exhibitions and special events within walking distance of several five-star hotels.