Abstract: Among different types of occupancies, a commercial highrise building presents a greater challenge to fire protection due to its functionality, complexity and economic value. The key objective of the present paper was to examine the situation of physical (as opposed to non-physical) fire protection systems in fourteen randomly selected commercial highrise buildings in the Nairobi CBD for fire safety optimization. Methods used include; physical observations, document review and interviews. A multi-attribute evaluation model/approach was applied to establish sufficiency and/or suitability of fire protection systems in the light of the national regulations and approved standards. The study findings show that, save for the facilities of the disabled and the firefighting/evacuation lifts, other fire protection systems are mainly provided in the buildings. However, insufficient maintenance and/or unsuitable elements renders their safety performance low.