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Commercial Real Estate Intelligence

Institutional analysis of East African property markets. Data-driven briefings for the sophisticated capital steward.

Grade A Office Vacancy (Nairobi)
15.3%19.3%
Source: Cytonn Research 2025
Construction Sector Growth (Q2)
+5.7%-3.7%
Source: KNBS Q2 2025
Prime Office Rental Yield
9.3%7.6%
Source: Knight Frank H1 2025
UHNWI Portfolio Allocation (Real Estate)
20%60%
Source: Knight Frank Wealth Report 2025
Data: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Knight Frank, Cytonn Research
12 January 2026 42 minMarket Intelligence

The Deloitte 2026 CRE Outlook: Institutional Capital Rotation

JD
John D'Angelo
Deloitte Real Estate
Executive Abstract

Analysis of the 850-investor survey revealing increased allocations to East African markets. John D'Angelo examines interest rate trajectories and their differential impact on Grade A office cap rates versus logistics assets.

Key Metrics

850
Investors Surveyed
via Deloitte
47 bps
Global Avg Yield Compression
via Deloitte

Strategic Implications

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the construction sector rebounded to 5.7% growth in Q2 2025, reversing the 3.7% contraction recorded in Q2 2024 [^9^]. This macro recovery correlates with Knight Frank's observation of Nairobi's Grade A office vacancy declining to 15.3%—a 400 basis point improvement year-on-year—as multinational corporations executing "flight-to-quality" strategies absorb premium stock in Westlands and Gigiri [^1^][^3^].

For the UHNWI investor, the data presents a contrarian entry window. With only 6% of Kenyan wealth managers overseeing portfolios exceeding $1 billion, and capital rotation away from residential assets (allocation dropping from 60% to 20%) toward REITs and income-generating commercial infrastructure, institutional-grade office assets offer defensive positioning [^24^][^26^]. Stanlib Fahari I-REIT's current 9.6% yield—despite regulatory non-compliance on distribution ratios—signals underlying asset resilience [^18^][^30^].

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