UN targets Net Zero status in Nairobi office expansion project

In the upgrade and renovations project, a number of buildings in the A-J office blocks have been renovated and a new complex constructed. 

A number of offices in the Gigiri Complex have been modernised and made accessible, especially to persons living with disabilities. 

The project that began in 2023 and is set for completion in 2025 is under budget, according to Mr. Stephen Stannah, the Chief, Central Support Services at UNON. 

This points to an adequate utilisation of the USD74.5million (nearly Ksh.9.6 billion) allocated to the upgrade of office blocks A-J under the Gigiri Masterplan. 

Completion of this phase gives room for the beginning of the second phase of the project, which includes the construction of Conference facilities, meeting rooms and an assembly hall with a capacity of 1600 people. This Conference Facility Project (CFP) will be funded to the tune of $265.6 million (nearly Ksh.34.3 billion), approved by UN member states in 2023. 

Nairobi, the host city of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), stands out as a suitable geographical location for the implementation of environmentally friendly infrastructure development.  

A Net Zero status 

Through the Gigiri Masterplan, the largest investment the UN Secretariat has undertaken in Africa, the global body aims to attain a net-zero status. 

Net zero status means the multilateral body will cut its carbon emissions to a small amount, which can be absorbed by nature and other carbon dioxide removal measures. This is through its production, consumption and mobility. 

Environmental sustainability has been a major focus of the expansion and upgrade of the 14-acre complex in Nairobi. 

“The buildings have a raised solar roof, which produces as much or more solar power than the building consumes throughout the 12-month period,” Mr. Stannah says. 

This, Mr. Stannah says, will be achieved through energy-neutral buildings, such as the new UNEP and UN-Habitat offices that are energy neutral. 

“We have achieved the highest possible green building rating,” remarks Mr. Jack Howard, Principal Programme Manager at UNON. 

Gigiri aims to achieve Net zero certification by 2030, with a focus of restoring green vegetation that was on the complex when it was part of Karura Forest. 

“We will have a net-zero energy, meaning we will produce at least as much energy as we consume. Using renewable energy, mainly solar. We will also have water harvesting, we have a water settlement, it will be used to recycle grey water and use for recycling toilets,” adds Mr. Howard. 

The multilateral’s strategy to achieve net zero status also involves upgrade of its red-plated vehicles. Electric vehicles will begin to be used by UN officials, with a plan to do away with diesel and petrol vehicles that increase carbon emissions. 

According to Mr. Stannah, utilisation of space and environmental sustainability were part of the conditions by member states when the project was approved under resolution 78/253 of 2023.

“Prior to approval, the General Assembly required us to improve our utilisation and get maximum value from the investment. We have achieved that,” says Mr. Stannah. 

For maximum utilisation of resources, building in the Gigiri complex will have raised roofs, providing indoor-outdoor open air working environments. Meeting spaces will be set up on the roof spaces to increase capacity around the blocks. 

Here, the UN hopes to maximise resources and improve its operations. 

Why Nairobi? 

Questions have surrounded the choice of the Gigiri complex as the largest investment the UN Secretariat has undertaken in Africa, and the Global South at large. 

It is also part of its strategy to establish a greater presence in the Global South, as Gigiri serves as the representative office of the UN Secretary-General in Kenya.

UNON Director-General Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura pits Nairobi as a suitable geographical location for agencies such as UNICEF, UN Women and UNFPA, as it makes it easier for them to reach their clientele. 

“It reduces costs. They have a 140-acre land where they do not have to rent a private compound,” says Mrs. Bangura. 

“They can save money, save costs, manage their staff and clientele better because they are in a favourable time zone,” she adds. 

Mr. Stannah argues that the climate in Nairobi also supports the utilisation of open-door spaces. 

“Nairobi is also very well placed for entities that are looking towards moving staff without any other significant investment,” states Stannah.

On his part, Chris Kirkcaldy, the Director, Division for Administrative Services, argues that Nairobi is a suitable location to run regional programmes. 

“Agencies are looking at financial challenges, and Nairobi is part of the answer to those challenges. It is a cost-effective place to run operations …” 

Mr. Kirkcaldy adds that the expansion also offers employment opportunities for Kenyans, who are members of the host community. 

In Mrs. Bangura’s view, the financial challenges facing UN agencies also happened to have come when Gigiri was improving its facilities. 

“The buildings were old, outdated….we had a vision to have more space... Then, in the process, with the financial crisis… liquidity, people decide to relocate at a time when we are building,” Mrs. Bangura argues. 

These infrastructural changes, the UN says, will not be hidden underneath the leafy Gigiri complex. The UN Avenue, a major road separating UNON and the United States Embassy in Nairobi, will be upgraded after approval of the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA). 

The visible changes will also be an expanded visitors' entrance centre. The distinctive “karibUNi” signage at the complex will also be relocated to the main entrance, where it will be visible from UN Avenue. 

The multilateral body mulls where to place the 195 flags of member states (193) and 2 observer states that are flown at the Gigiri complex.