Four kilometres north of the city centre, Muthaiga is Nairobi’s long-established Beverly Hills

It lies along shady roads that wind through lush wooded hills and valleys with streams that turn into quick-running rivers in the March-May and October-November rainy seasons. The area is home to wealthy Kenyans, but is better known for expatriates on long-term contracts or settled foreigners living in houses real estate agents term “ambassadorial”. There are no apartment blocks here. Most roads are gated, with 24-hour security staff. There is a small selection of dukas but shopping is mainly at the modern malls of The Village Market in Gigiri, in Westlands or Parklands or in the city centre.

The Muthaiga Country Club to the east provides sports and recreational facilities and there is also a strong local residents’ association which oversees the management and development of the estate. Buses and matatus travel the main route from the city centre along the Limuru Road, but once at the turn-off into Muthaiga proper there is little public transport. A taxi to central Nairobi will cost KSh500 and roughly the same to The Village Market.