Unaitas Sacco is lining up a Sh521.56 million mixed-use development in Runda to host its headquarters, banking hall, data centre, strip mall and restaurant, marking a strategic shift toward asset-backed expansion.
The sacco, which is the sixth largest in the country with an asset base of over Sh26 billion, says the various premises including offices will be on twin towers. The mall will be three-storey while the office block will be seven-storeyed, with the entire project occupying 16,266 square metres.
The strip mall will host a Unaitas branch and retail tenants, while the office block will house its headquarters, data centre and additional office space for lease. The project signals that Unaitas plans to relocate its head office from the current Cardinal Otunga Plaza in the Nairobi Central Business District.
Unaitas, which is seeking approval from the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) to proceed with the project, says the development will convert its idle land within the Runda area in Westlands along the northern bypass into an income-generating venture.
‘The main objective of the proposed project is to construct a mixed- use development which would serve as the proponent’s head office, data centre and a banking branch while still allowing for lettable spaces which would create room for various business, ventures and offices,’ reads the impact assessment report submitted to Nema.
The project will neighbour several developments, including the Glee Hotel that sits directly opposite the site, car selling yards that dominate the area, as well as Githogoro village and Runda Estate.
The development adds to the rising commercial activity in the Runda-Kiambu Road corridor, where projects such as Runda Mall have emerged along the northern bypass. The site is located about 300 metres from the Kiambu Road-Northern Bypass junction towards the Ruaka direction.
‘The proposed mixed-use development, therefore, has strong potential to contribute positively through direct and indirect employment through skilled and unskilled labour demand, increased commercial space, and economic stimulation of the area,’ reads the document.
Unaitas was registered in Kenya in 1993 as Muramati Sacco, originally serving tea farmers in Murang’a, Maragua and Thika before rebranding. The sacco has since expanded its membership to include small and medium-sized enterprises and salaried workers across the country, growing to become the sixth largest in Kenya.
The top five saccos by asset base as of 2024 were Mwalimu National (Sh68.89 billion), Stima (Sh66.51 billion), Kenya National Police (Sh59.83 billion), Harambee (Sh38.7 billion) and Tower (Sh28.04 billion).
Unaitas’ asset base hit Sh29.6 billion in 2025 from Sh26.1 billion in the previous year, with deposits of Sh15.8 billion from membership of over 458,000.