The bouncing back of Kenya’s real estate sector after a difficult pandemic period is taking many investors by surprise. It had been two years of a sharp slump in the demand for land and houses as people reserved their savings to support livelihoods but after the work-from-home conditions to contain the virus, they realised they needed better housing.

Even the youth, who for many reasons have been referred to as ‘Generation Rent,’ have found sense in living in their own houses, and are now cutting off the shackles of rent slavery.amilies realised they needed spacious rooms, cleaner air to breathe and ample parking lots and that’s why since the beginning of this year, many Kenyans are investing in the property sector.Indeed, the pandemic turned into a strong factor supporting land and housing demand. Even now, the Central Bank of Kenya retains its benchmark interest rate at 7 per cent, a critical measure to continue supporting the domestic economic recovery as inflation expectations remain well anchored.And with a bigger tarmac road network in urban and peri-urban centres compared to previous years, demand for land this year will keep rising.Even in rural areas where you thought land was less attractive is witnessing a gradual rise in interest from developers due to better roads and more electricity and internet penetration.

That means you can buy land in a productive rural area, grow your crops and sell them via e-commerce platforms without having to travel to Nairobi. Once you place your harvest on the various online marketplaces, buyers flock your farm with lorries to buy.That is an even more sustainable way of living where you build your house and make money from your rural home. Because you have stable and fast internet, you can monitor market trends.And if you thought the upcoming August 9 elections will affect the profitability of the real estate industry, you will be shocked because the opposite is what will happen. 

Globally, elections are coupled with a number of uncertainties. Investors, especially in real estate, wait until the political campaigns slow down, elections are held and winners announced, to make purchase decisions.However, this is not the case this year. We have witnessed growth in the real estate sector even amidst elections previously. For instance, despite the highly contested elections in 2017, land prices in Ngata area in Nakuru City rose by 20.66 per cent making it the best performing satellite town.Five years down the line, the satellite town has magnificent and luxurious residential homes and getting affordable land within the area is almost impossible. Ngata is now a high-end estate in Nakuru where everyone desires to have a piece of land.

Looking at the current political system where President Uhuru Kenyatta is in a cordial relationship with ODM leader Raila Odinga, it is almost impossible that political skirmishes will happen this year to derail investments.There is more political tolerance right now than ever before, and that is a positive indicator of how things will turn out during the post-election period.

Contrary to the past, scenes of Kenyans flocking their rural homes for fear of violence in urban centres are not expected.Even the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Q3, 2021 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report shows the real estate sector grew marginally by 5.2 per cent, 0.3 per cent points higher than the 4.9 per cent growth recorded in Q2, 2021.2022 is the year to invest in property with confidence as land and house prices will rise in coming years given the current inflation which has given rise to the current general rise of prices of goods and services.After the economy was opened, more business opportunities arose and that is injecting more cash flow into the economy making investments fluid.

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