The Nairobi City County Government has launched a fresh crackdown on unauthorized developments, giving thousands of property owners a final chance to bring their buildings in line with planning laws.
In a public notice, the County Executive Committee Member for Built Environment and Urban Planning called on developers, land-buying companies, and investors with unapproved projects to apply for regularization.
The initiative is anchored in the Nairobi City County Regularization of Unauthorized Development Act, 2025.
Chief Officer for Urban Development and Planning, Patrick Analo, said the exercise is meant to grant approvals to structures built without permits provided they meet minimum planning and safety standards.
“To ensure transparency, the county will publish notices of unauthorized developments in at least two national newspapers,” Analo explained. “The process will cover subdivisions, change of use, extensions, architectural and structural works, billboards, LEDs, wall wraps, and even informal settlements on private land.”
He added that City Hall is also using the initiative to untangle long-running land and planning disputes that have stalled development in parts of the city.
Areas likely to be most affected include Ruai, Kasarani, Mwiki, Roysambu, and several parts of Embakasi neighborhoods where land-buying firms, squatters, and government allocations have often clashed.
“Some of these disputes have ended up in court and rulings were made. We are now giving property owners a chance to regularize before enforcement begins,” said Analo.
He pointed to the Kirima land case pitting the family of the late businessman Gerishon Kirima against thousands of settlers as one of the complex matters City Hall is determined to resolve.
Property owners who wish to regularize their projects will be required to file applications through registered professionals such as physical planners, architects, structural engineers, and environmental experts using the Nairobi Planning and Development Management System (NPDMS).
Projects that fail to comply will be subject to enforcement under the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019.
