The United Nations is making one of its largest-ever infrastructure investments in Africa, marking a major step in bringing global decision-making closer to the people it serves.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Kenya on May 11 to mark the nearly $340 million expansion of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). The project includes new office buildings and a large conference facility, making Nairobi one of the UN’s most important hubs worldwide.
President William Samoei Ruto of Kenya joined Guterres at the UN’s Gigiri complex for the groundbreaking of the new conference center and the opening of modern office buildings. The expansion was approved by UN Member States through the General Assembly.
A Growing Global Hub in Africa
The new facilities replace aging buildings from the 1970s with modern, climate‑resilient, and fully accessible offices. They are designed to reduce long-term costs while supporting a growing UN workforce in Africa.
The project includes new office buildings costing $66.2 million and upgraded conference facilities worth $265.7 million. Once completed, the number of meeting rooms will increase from 14 to 30, and seating capacity will grow from 2,000 to 9,000 delegates. A new 1,600-seat Assembly Hall will allow Nairobi to host large global meetings.
With these upgrades, Nairobi will become the third largest UN headquarters, after New York and Geneva. Vienna will remain the fourth. In addition, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has invested $11.2 million in new office space at the complex.
The Only UN Headquarters in the Global South
UNON is the only UN Secretariat headquarters located in the Global South. Today, more than 4,000 UN staff and 88 UN offices operate from the Gigiri complex. Across Kenya, nearly 6,000 UN personnel work alongside their families and dependents from Kenya and neighboring countries.
Kenya has played a central role in supporting the UN’s presence. The Government of Kenya donated 140 acres of land for the complex—the largest land contribution made by any UN host country.
UN Under-Secretary-General and UNON Director-General Zainab Hawa Bangura described the expansion as a turning point. “This investment places the United Nations where global challenges—and solutions—are increasingly found,” Bangura said, calling Nairobi a strategic center for the UN’s work in the 21st century.
During the visit, the Secretary-General will also meet with Kenyan leaders and take part in regional discussions, including the Africa Forward Summit, highlighting the UN’s commitment to peace, sustainable development, and climate action across Africa.
