United Nations Day: Why section of Kenyans are concerned about UN offices relocating to Nairobi
A section of Kenyans have expressed caution over the planned expansion of United Nations offices in Nairobi, citing potential impacts on traffic, cost of living, and bureaucracy, even as the UN continues to enjoy widespread approval for its programmes in the country.
The findings come from a nationwide survey conducted ahead of United Nations Day on Friday, October 24, 2025, by Stahili Pulse Reports, which gathered responses from 2,840 Kenyans across Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisii, Nyeri, Murang’a, Kisumu, Bomet, Machakos, Kajiado and other counties.
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Among them, Nairobi contributed 414 respondents, followed by Nakuru 168, Kisii 117, Nyeri 103, and Murang’a 89, among others.
While 60.6 per cent of respondents expressed excitement at the prospect of additional UN offices in Nairobi, 6.5 per cent voiced concern over traffic congestion and rising living costs, and 3.1 per centopposed the move due to worries about bureaucracy.
Another 29.8 per cent remained neutral.
Awareness of the UN itself is high, with 70.1 per cent saying they are very familiar with its work, 27.8 per cent knowing of the UN but not much about its activities, and only 2.1 per cent claiming never to have heard of the organisation.
The survey revealed that Kenyans overwhelmingly view the UN’s work in the country positively.
A combined 84.5 per cent described its contributions as “extremely positive” (43.6%) or “mostly positive” (40.9%), while 13.8 per cent remained neutral and only 1 per cent expressed negative opinions.
Over half of respondents (55.5 per cent) reported having personally benefited from UN projects, either directly or through family and friends.
Trust in UN-branded initiatives is strong, with 52.9% “very trusting,” 33% “somewhat trusting,” 11.9 per cent neutral, and only 2.2 per cent sceptical.
Global priorities
On global priorities, health and pandemic preparedness were cited by 29.5 per cent of respondents as key areas for the UN, closely followed by climate change action at 29.2 per cent.
Ending extreme poverty and hunger attracted 18.2 per cent, stopping wars and conflict 14.7 per cent, while promoting human rights and gender equality was prioritised by 8.4 per cent of respondents.
The survey also explored opinions on the UN’s role in Kenyan politics.
A majority, 55.2%, believe the UN should intervene to maintain stability, 35% think it should advise but not interfere, and 9.8% feel it should never interfere.
Demographically, the survey was dominated by male respondents (79%), with females making up 21%.
Gen Z participants were the largest cohort at 58.8%, followed by millennials at 26.6% and Gen X at 12.4%.
The data indicates that younger, urban populations contributed the bulk of responses, particularly from Nairobi and Kajiado.
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Author
Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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