Does Vastu work in Kenya?
Yes. Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Kenya as in India, so its guidance applies to a maisonette in Parklands or a house in Nyali. Kenya is unusual in two ways. The compass is almost exactly on true north (within about 2° anywhere in the country), so that correction is small. And the equator runs through the country: Nairobi and Mombasa lie just south of it, Eldoret and Kitale just north, so the midday sun is high all year and on each side of the sky for about half of it.
Homes on the equator: does the Southern Hemisphere question apply?
Most Vastu debates about the Southern Hemisphere start from one fact: south of the Tropic of Capricorn the midday sun is always in the north, the opposite of India. Kenya is different. It sits on the equator. In Nairobi the midday sun is on the south side of the sky for about 174 days a year and on the north side for the rest; in Eldoret, just north of the equator, the split is almost the same the other way round. The sun-based argument for swapping north and south hardly applies here.
What VastuIQ does: the score always follows the classical directions. For an address south of the equator, such as Nairobi or Mombasa, the report also shows the flipped reading beside any room where it would change the result a lot, as it does for every Southern Hemisphere home. With the sun split almost evenly, the case for flipping is weaker here than in Australia or South Africa: the classical score is the main reading, and the flipped note is there for families who follow that view. For towns north of the equator, such as Eldoret and Kitale, it is not shown.
Kenyan homes, read correctly
The report uses the names on your plan and reads them the way a home here is built:
The domestic staff quarters (DSQ), whether inside the house or a separate block, are read as a staff bedroom. Traditionally best: North-West, the zone traditionally linked with Vayu (air) and movement.
A maisonette is checked as a whole home over its floors: upload each floor. In a gated community, mark the outline of your own unit; its front door is yours, not the estate gate.
Read as living rooms. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
Read as a prayer space. Traditionally best: North-East (Ishanya), traditionally the most sacred zone.
The kitchen is read by its direction and the store as storage. Traditionally best for cooking: South-East, the zone traditionally linked with Agni (fire). North-West is the usual second choice.
Read as outdoor areas. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
Apartments, gated communities and renting
Whether you live in an apartment in Westlands or Kilimani, or a maisonette in a gated community in Runda or Karen, the management company or the residents' association usually sets the rules for the outside and the shared areas. Choose Own it (building rules) in the tool: the report leads with fixes inside the home and marks anything that touches the structure or the outside as "If renovating". Renting? Choose Renting and every fix is one you can make without the landlord.
New to Vastu? What it is, in brief
Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of architecture and home layout, set out in Sanskrit texts such as the Mayamata and the Manasara. It divides a home into eight directional zones around its centre and suggests which rooms and activities suit which zone. Many Indian families use it when they buy, build or arrange a home, and so do people of other backgrounds who are curious about how a home is laid out.
Kept the lightest and least cluttered part of the home; a good place for prayer or quiet.
The zone traditionally linked with Agni, fire, so it is the classical place for cooking.
Linked with weight and stability; tradition places the main bedroom and heavy storage here.
It is a cultural tradition, not a science, and it does not promise outcomes. VastuIQ shows what the classical texts recommend, measured accurately for your home and your city, and you decide what to do with it. Most of the report's fixes need no building work: they are about how rooms are used and arranged.
Compass vs true north in Kenya
Across Kenya a compass points within about 2° of true north: slightly east around Nairobi and in the west, slightly west at the coast. Your score uses the exact figure for your own town.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Eldoret, Uasin Gishu | 1.1° east | 12.1 – 12.2 h |
| Kisumu, Kisumu | 1.0° east | 12.1 – 12.1 h |
| Nakuru, Nakuru | 0.7° east | 12.1 – 12.1 h |
| Naivasha, Nakuru | 0.5° east | 12.1 – 12.2 h |
| Nyeri, Nyeri | 0.5° east | 12.1 – 12.1 h |
| Meru, Meru | 0.5° east | 12.1 – 12.1 h |
| Thika, Kiambu | 0.3° east | 12.1 – 12.2 h |
| Ruiru, Kiambu | 0.3° east | 12.1 – 12.2 h |
| Westlands, Nairobi | 0.3° east | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Parklands, Nairobi | 0.3° east | 12.1 – 12.2 h |
| Lavington, Nairobi | 0.3° east | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Kilimani, Nairobi | 0.3° east | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Nairobi, Nairobi | 0.3° east | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Karen, Nairobi | 0.3° east | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Athi River, Machakos | 0.2° east | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Kitengela, Kajiado | 0.2° east | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Malindi, Kilifi | 1.3° west | 11.9 – 12.3 h |
| Nyali, Mombasa | 1.5° west | 11.9 – 12.4 h |
| Mombasa, Mombasa | 1.5° west | 11.9 – 12.4 h |
Calculated for 2026 with the World Magnetic Model WMM-2025 (NOAA / British Geological Survey) and NOAA solar equations. "East" means a compass points to the east of true north.
Check one home, or compare your shortlist
- Score out of 100 and its band
- Your top three issues
- True north correction for your city
- Every room scored, with no-cost and low-cost fixes
- Your floor plans with the zones at true north
- Centre, front door and pada
- Action plan, 90-day plan and checklist
- Two or three homes side by side
- Which home fits Vastu best, and why
- Plus the full report for the home you choose
Prices are charged in US dollars and your bank converts them; local amounts are a guide.
Vastu in Kenya: questions people ask
Does Vastu work in Kenya?
Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Kenya as in India, so its room-by-direction guidance can be applied to a Kenyan home. What matters is getting north right on the floor plan and reading local rooms such as the DSQ properly. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
Should north and south be swapped for a home in Nairobi?
Nairobi lies just south of the equator, and its midday sun is on the north side of the sky for only about half the year, so the usual argument for swapping hardly applies. VastuIQ scores the classical directions; because Nairobi is technically in the Southern Hemisphere, the report also shows the flipped reading beside any room where it changes the result a lot, for families who follow that view.
Do I need to correct my compass for Vastu in Kenya?
Only slightly. A compass points about 0.3° east of true north in Nairobi, 1.0° east in Kisumu, 1.1° east in Eldoret and 1.5° west in Mombasa (World Magnetic Model). That rarely moves a room into the next zone, but VastuIQ still corrects it. The bigger risk is a plan whose north arrow is missing or drawn by eye.
How does Vastu treat a DSQ?
A DSQ (domestic staff quarters) is read as a staff bedroom, which tradition places best in the north-west. You can change how any room is read on the confirm screen.
Can I check a maisonette or an apartment before buying?
Yes. Upload the plan from the listing or the developer, set north from the site plan or a map, and confirm the rooms. To compare two or three homes, use Compare 2–3 homes: the comparison is free, and Home Buyer Compare (US$79, about KSh 10,246) adds a PDF that ranks them and includes the full report for the one you choose.
I also own a home in India. Which tool should I use?
Use this page for the home in Kenya. For a flat or house in India, use VastuIQ's India tools, priced in rupees: the AI Floor Plan Analyzer reads the builder's plan, and the Free Vastu Analyzer checks a home from its room directions.
Vastu for homes in other countries
Written by Manoj Jangra, founder of VastuIQ. Last updated 20 October 2026.
Vastu Shastra is a traditional and cultural practice. VastuIQ reports are not engineering, legal, financial or medical advice and do not promise any outcome.