Kenyans React

Karen country club, the prestigious elite member-only club in Kenya, has announced that it will now be opening up to the public in a move aimed at diversifying income. 

Non-members will now be able to access the golf course, the clubhouse and the residencies at the Karen Country Club.

Since it was established in 1937 the country club, which boasts of an expansive 225 acres of the Karen Country Club Golf Course in Nairobi, has only been accessible to members and their guests.

“There was the need for the club to open up an angle of revenue generation that moves away from heavy reliance on membership subscriptions and entrance fees,” says Peter Olale, the commercial services manager at Karen Country Club which was founded in 1937.

Its guests are drawn from golf tournaments, sporting events, members and their visitors, people seeking staycations and weekend getaways, one-nighters, and honeymooners.

Americans make up the highest percentage of visitors from the international market.

The cost of accommodation at the residencies, which opened six years ago, ranges from Sh19,200 to Sh58,000 a night.

The ever comical Kenyans have taken to social media with memes  after the announcement that Karen Country club will open its facilities to members of the public;