Nairobi’s 88 residential tower by the Lordship Africa Group is a Ksh6.8 billion luxury residential project that began in 2018 but has experienced delays and remains incomplete as of 2026.
The residential project, located on the corner of 4th Ngong Avenue and Bishop’s Road in Upper Hill, has 288 units, 48 floors, 33 facilities and services, and advanced biometric security systems.
Upon completion, the 88-story residential tower will be Kenya’s tallest residential building. It will serve not only as a residential area but also as a multifunctional one, according to Jonathan Jackson, founder and chairman of Lordship Africa and Lordship Europe.
“The international professional management will offer you not only all the services for renting your residence but also will be providing ‘Active Management’. This means they will offer you a 5-star hotel lifestyle with programs for wellness, games, parties, seminars, new film showings in the 150-seat multifunction room next to the branded Italian restaurant, and also cocktails on the 34th sunset deck,” Jonathan Jackson explained on the residential tower features.
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Nairobi’s 88 Residential Construction Delays
Construction of the African tallest residential towers began in 2018, with the completion targeted for the mid-2020s.
However, the project stalled within the first year of construction due to delayed approval from the Nairobi City County Council.
According to Jonathan Jackson, the project had received 50 commitments for housing units, but the delays undermined his ability to fulfill the promise to finish by mid-2020.
Further, Jackson clarified that the project faced bureaucratic issues, including frequent technical failures in Nairobi County’s digital permitting system, inadequate staffing at Nairobi County to process development applications, and the suspension of planning committees.
Following the suspension of the Technical Planning Committee in August 2019 by the former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, citing an audit that exposed officials issuing fake permits and running an extortion ring, construction of the Nairobi’s 88 residential tower was halted for seven months.
In addition, construction approvals were cut by 32.8% to KSh 141.27 billion across the Nairobi, Kisumu, Kiambu, and Mombasa county governments, affecting the completion of the 88 residential towers.
In September 2020, Lordship Africa finally secured the delayed approval from City Hall, and Jackson promised the project would be ready for occupation within 36 months.
COVID-19 Pandemic
Upon the resumption of construction in December 2020, Jackson declared that the project was fully set for completion with no further delays expected.
However, the project encountered a two-year delay due to an architectural redesign and COVID-19-related downtime.
The COVID pandemic led to supply chain disruptions, delaying construction material deliveries, with the high population density at the Upper Hill office further stalling the progress.
With the Chinese contractor ZJCC Engineering and Construction Company Limited leading the construction, the project completion timeline was extended to 2023.
During an interview in June 2025, Jackson revealed that the project was at 70% overall progress, with internal finishing still ongoing.
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Construction Progress as of 2026
As of June 2026 the Nairobi’s 88 residential tower is structurally topped out, with the frames complete and fit-out ongoing despite being under construction.
Developer Jonathan Jackson confirmed that the 44-story residential tower had entered its final stages of construction in February 2026.
According to Estate Intel, completion of the 88 residential towers is targeted for Q4 2026 in December.
Additionally, interior finishing is ongoing, including electrical cabling, plumbing, and ceiling installations, which are already complete across most floors.
Tiling in bathrooms and corridors has been completed, and the kitchen and wardrobes have already been installed in several units of the residential tower, according to Jonathan Jackson.
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