It is approximately 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) east of the central business district of Nairobi.

Ziwani is located approximately 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) east of Nairobi's central business district.

Built in order to remedy the housing shortage in the city among government-employed Africans, Ziwani, Kaloleni and Starehe were to contain two-three thousands dwellings and two-three thousand residents each.

Ziwani was the first native estate and was designed by municipal engineer G. Fletcher.

Ziwani was the first of the three estates to employ the garden city concept followed by Starehe (1942) and Kaloleni (1943).