Sakaja orders audit of all Nairobi buildings constructed in last two years

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has ordered an audit to be carried out for all buildings constructed over the last two years to establish their compliance with existing regulations.

The audit will also look at building plans approved but for which construction is yet to commence.

The governor has also suggested the formation of a Multi-Agency Committee constituted by the county to undertake the audit.

In a letter dated May 6, 2024, Sakaja noted that the team will comprise various stakeholders including the National Environmental Management Authority, National Construction Authority, Institute of Engineers of Kenya, Architectural Association of Kenya, Kenya Institute of Planners and Town and County Planners Association of Kenya.

"The purpose of this letter therefore is to bring to your attention this further directive and to request you to forward names of two professionals from your organisation to be part of the task force being constituted by the County," reads the letter addressed to the stakeholders.

The stakeholders will be required to forward the names of two professionals to be part of the committee

The committee will have 30-60 days to look into the matter and submit a comprehensive report for implementation.

Last week, Governor Sakaja temporarily halted the process of issuing new architectural building plan approvals.

He also ordered the suspension of all excavation at construction due to the ongoing heavy rains.

"All excavations of all sites, especially along riparian areas, and all excavations of buildings, especially those that have gone close to their neighbours have been stopped with immediate effect. All excavations have been stopped forthwith because the structural integrity of buildings cannot be assured at this time," Sakaja said.

An aerial view of Nairobi's Eastleigh area. President William Ruto gave property developers in Eastleigh, Nairobi, the go-ahead to construct highrises to meet the growing demand for accommodation. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)

This comes in the wake of Governor Sakaja's recent affirmation that the development of high-rise apartments in Nairobi's affluent districts of Kileleshwa and Lavington will proceed despite public outcry.

City expansion

Speaking at a church service in Bahati in March, the county boss emphasised Nairobi's inevitable expansion trajectory, asserting the necessity to create additional space to accommodate its growing population.

He further hinted at the possibility of similar developments in other parts of the city.

There is a proposal by Governor Johnson Sakaja's administration, seeking to raise building limits to 15 floors.

This proposal, along with a broader plan to revise zoning regulations, has ignited controversy among stakeholders.

However, over 26 professional and resident groups in Nairobi have opposed the proposal.

The proposal is under review by the Nairobi City County Assembly's Planning Committee, marking yet another attempt to revisit regulations unchanged since 2004.

If adopted, the new policy would increase height limits in areas like Kilimani, Kileleshwa, and Muthangari to 15 floors, with the Central Business District potentially reaching 75 floors.

The proposal states that Westlands Central Business District (CBD), Westlands Museum Hill and the surrounding areas have been classified under zone three with a limit of 30 floors.

In the new policy, areas in the Central Business District including Haile Selassie, University Way, Uhuru Highway and Tom Mboya Street will be classified as zone one with a floor limit of 75 floors while areas surrounding the newly-launched Railways City will have a limit of 50 floors.

Valley Road, Uhuru Highway, Dennis Pritt Road, Ralph Bunche Road and State House Road will also be limited to 75 floors.

Others with a similar limit include Ngong Road, Hospital Road, Upperhill Link Road, Mbagathi Way, Argwings Kodhek Road and Ralph Bunche Road.

Eastleigh, Pumwani and Ziwani are classified under zone 2 with a limit of 25 floors while Riverside, Parklands and City Park are classified under zone 3c with a limit of 20 floors.

President William Ruto on Monday gave property developers in Eastleigh, Nairobi, the go-ahead to construct highrises to meet the growing demand for accommodation.

Ruto said on Monday that, contrary to the past, when developers were subjected to height restrictions, his administration would approve the construction of multi-storey buildings.

"Since I am the Commander in Chief, I have said that in Eastleigh, you couldn't build a house beyond 12 floors but now we can build storey buildings of up to 30 floors so that citizens can get accommodation and live in a harmonious neighbourhood," he stated during a tour of the Mathare area.