County Unveils New Business-Friendly Urban Planning Guidelines

New Law Empowers Nairobi City Hall to Regularise Irregular Developments and Strengthen Urban Planning
Nairobi — On 5 July 2025, the Nairobi City County Assembly passed the Nairobi City County Regularisation of Unauthorised Development Bill, 2025 — a landmark law designed to bring thousands of informal and unauthorised developments across the capital into the formal urban planning system. The legislation, awaiting formal assent from Johnson Sakaja, aims to regularise buildings and settlements previously developed without official approval, giving property owners a legal path to declare and document their structures. Should the governor sign it into law later this month, many of Nairobi’s unplanned neighbourhoods could finally see formal recognition.
The new law will enable the county government to map and document all previously unregistered developments, including houses built without approved plans, subdivisions on untitled or contested land, and informal settlements on public or company-owned land. As part of this process, such properties will be brought under the city’s valuation roll — improving the accuracy of property records and expanding the tax and revenue base. County officials have identified densely populated zones such as Eastlands, Embakasi, Mwiki, Utawala, Roysambu, Pipeline, and Kasarani as priorities for enforcement. Landowners in these areas will be invited to submit architectural drawings and other relevant documentation for formal review and inclusion in the official system.
Reaction from city planners, developers, and many residents has been largely favourable. For advocates of orderly development, the law promises to inject structure, transparency, and predictability into Nairobi’s chaotic urban sprawl. By allowing regularisation rather than demolition, it offers a pragmatic solution that avoids displacing communities while enabling them to gain legitimate property status. Analysts also suggest this could significantly boost the county’s finances — with some estimates projecting as much as KSh 5 billion in additional revenue from previously unregistered properties.
Looking ahead, the success of the initiative hinges on efficient implementation, clear communication to affected property owners, and strict technical review of submitted developments. If executed well, the law could provide a blueprint for orderly urban growth not only in Nairobi but in other rapidly expanding Kenyan cities. The regularisation process may also catalyze improved infrastructure provision, upgraded housing standards, and better public services — setting the stage for a more stable, structured, and equitable urban future.