Airbnb Occupancy Rate in Nairobi, Kenya, Data & Trends 2026

Over the June 2025 to May 2026 analysis period, Nairobi averaged 50% occupancy at an ADR of 39 EUR (about 35 USD), giving roughly 578 EUR (525 USD) in average monthly revenue per listing across 619 active listings. Kenya has only one city in our dataset, Nairobi, so the city figures are the national benchmark rather than an outlier above or below it. Occupancy of 50% over 181 booked nights a year is moderate, and the modest ADR reflects a market where revenue is driven more by volume and corporate medium-stays than by nightly rate.

Seasonality reads at 28%, a meaningful but not extreme swing, with December and July as the best months and September and February the weakest. The clearest signal is the minus 10% revenue change year on year: rates and bookings softened over the period, so pricing discipline and targeting the corporate, UN and safari-transit segments matter more than chasing peak-week rate alone.

Nairobi is East Africa's business hub and the gateway to Kenya's safari circuit, and both engines feed short-term rental demand. Most travellers heading to the Maasai Mara, Amboseli or the coast spend at least a night in the city, and Nairobi National Park sits inside the city limits, so safari guests overnight here on arrival and departure. Alongside that leisure flow sits a deep corporate base: the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) in Gigiri hosts the global headquarters of UN Environment and UN-Habitat, and the city anchors a dense diplomatic, NGO and conference market that drives weekday and medium-stay bookings.

Guests arrive through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Kenya Airways' base and the region's main hub, which keeps a steady mix of safari tourists, consultants and visiting NGO and UN staff. The result is a market where corporate and leisure demand overlap rather than compete, supporting serviced apartments and furnished Airbnb units across the western suburbs year round.

Westlands and Kilimani carry the densest supply of furnished short-stay apartments and suit operators best. Westlands is the upmarket commercial core, walkable to malls, the GTC towers and corporate offices, and uniquely serves business travellers, UN and diplomatic staff and Airbnb guests at once. Kilimani is the most central and walkable residential pick, close to coworking spaces and a favourite of digital nomads and longer-stay guests.

Gigiri is the diplomatic zone next to the UN complex, drawing premium long and medium stays from UN and NGO staff. Karen, Runda and Muthaiga are the outer low-density luxury suburbs of gated homes and large gardens, better for villa-style and family rentals than high-turnover city apartments. Kileleshwa and Lavington fill the gap between Kilimani and the suburbs with quieter furnished-apartment supply. The CBD itself is more transit and office than overnight territory, so most short-stay activity clusters in the western belt.