I Built My Ksh8 Million Dream House, Then Ran Back to Rent After 2 Months

For five years, I was the perfect Nairobi tenant. I lived in a sleek one-bedroom in Kilimani. I paid my Ksh30,000 rent religiously. I could walk to the gym, grab groceries at midnight, and stumble into Upper Hill for work without breaking a sweat. Life was good, but a nagging voice always whispered: "James, you are throwing money away. Build. Own. Stop enriching a landlord!"

I bought into the dream. The ultimate dream: no landlord calls, your own gate, your own rules. I was 30, earning a clean Ksh120,000, and I was determined to hit that milestone. I found my sanctuary in Kiserian, bought a quarter-acre for Ksh1.5 million, and spent a year and Ksh6.5million building my three-bedroom mansion.

In January 2025, I moved in. I was a homeowner. 

It Wasn’t Easy

While the first month was exciting even in the mornings when I had to wake at 4 am for work. With time, I became exhausted, especially in the second month.

I had to be out of the house by 5:30 am just to avoid the snarl-up near Ongata Rongai and reach Upper Hill by 7:30 am. I was trading 3 to 4 hours of my life, every single day, sitting in traffic. 

On the bad days, I felt the sheer panic of being late, sacrificing my performance just to get to a house I barely saw. My fuel budget shot up from Ksh8,000 to Ksh15,000 a month, effectively swallowing half of the rent I thought I was saving. 

The rough roads leading to the house also made my mechanic a very rich man, pushing my car maintenance costs into the red.

When I tell someone that I built my dream mansion and I am still renting, they are astounded. It wasn't an easy decision. Getting home after 10pm, even on a weekday, was running my job, my health, and my sanity into the ground. I realized I had traded the financial cost of rent for the exhausting, hidden cost of commuting.

No More Networking 

But the deepest shock was the silence and the impact on the move on my money-making ventures. As a data analyst, I rely on close friends within Nairobi for side gigs that earn me extra money. 

From my Kilimani apartment, it was always easy to connect with a client in the evening or the weekend for a business deal. However, in Kiserian, networking became a 90-minute commute and a strategic commitment no one wanted to make.

The lack of basic amenities and a few isolated insecurity incidents just added a layer of unnecessary anxiety to my life. I had achieved peace, but at the price of isolation and convenience.

I didn't regret the property, but I regretted the timing. I eventually realized I had built a home for the ideal 'Family Man James' who was still five years away. 

The single, career-focused James needed a convenient city base where his energy was focused on growth, not commuting. The core financial lesson here is that you must ruthlessly calculate the total cost of being a home owner—and that includes time, energy, and social well-being.

I still own the asset, and now it earns me income as a rental. But I’m back in a slightly smaller apartment closer to the office, paying my Ksh25,000 rent.

I am happier, more focused, and my car is thanking me. I learned that you should own the property where you see potential, but rent the life that supports the person you are today