President William Ruto and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres are expected to officially launch the United Nations Nairobi Expansion Project today, Monday, May 11, at the UN headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi.
The multi-billion-shilling project, approved by United Nations member states in December 2023, is expected to strengthen Nairobi’s role as a major global centre for UN operations and international diplomacy.
The project will cost about $340 million (approximately Ksh.43.8 billion) and includes the construction of a new conference facility as well as the upgrade of office buildings at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON).
According to the UN, the conference facilities alone will cost $265.6 million (about Ksh.34.3 billion), while the office block upgrades are estimated at $74.5 million (around Ksh.9.6 billion).
During the event, President Ruto and Guterres will break ground for the new conference complex and also inaugurate newly completed modern office buildings within the Gigiri compound.
The UN Secretary-General is also expected to hold high-level talks with Kenya’s leadership and take part in regional discussions, including the Africa Forward Summit, which is being co-hosted by Kenya and France.
UN Under-Secretary-General and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Zainab Hawa Bangura, described the expansion as a major step for the organisation’s future in Africa.
“This investment aligns our presence with where global challenges and solutions are increasingly concentrated. Nairobi is not only a host city, it is a strategic centre for delivering the United Nations’ work in the 21st century,” she said ahead of the Secretary General’s visit.
The UN says the expansion project will increase Nairobi’s capacity to host international meetings from the current 2,000 participants to 9,000. The plans also include the construction of 16 additional meeting rooms and a new assembly hall with a seating capacity of 1,600 people.
Several UN agencies, including United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Population Fund and UN Women, have already shifted some global operations to Nairobi under the expansion plan, although their official headquarters will remain in New York.
Currently, about 6,000 UN personnel are based in Kenya, with nearly 5,000 working at the Gigiri complex across more than 80 UN offices and agencies.
