7. Nairobi City Development Ordinances and Zones Guidelines 2004
These are the zoning guidelines for Nairobi City County. It provides for guidelines in up to 24 zones in Nairobi.
路 It covers all areas of Nairobi City County (and some neighbouring areas in adjacent counties) and provides for what zones they are in. Each zone has its own delineated acceptable plot size and ground coverage ratio of buildings, dependent on the acceptable population density, land use and infrastructure in the area.
路 These guidelines are very relevant as they determine the kind of housing developments that are acceptable in any particular area and which will be granted approval.
路 Given the changes over time since their development as well as the increase in population in Nairobi (nearing 5 million people), there is now an urgent need to review the guidelines or undertake rezoning to free more land and relax building restrictions.
路 Nairobi City county government is currently seeking to rezone areas within its jurisdiction by relaxing the existing restrictions and allowing for more buildings and high-rise buildings, in a bid to accommodate the increasing population. This is bound to open exclusive and high-end estates by making them high-density zones with high-rise buildings. While this is likely to lower the price of houses in these estates thereby promoting their affordability, the same will also result in an escalation of land prices in those areas given that such land will have more commercial value by virtue of being able to accommodate more houses than is currently the case.
路 The move towards rezoning the capital and moving away from the current Nairobi County Development Ordinance and Guidelines, and accord with the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Master Plan developed in 2014, must, however, consider the existing infrastructure such as improving sewerage systems, stormwater drainage, upgrading water infrastructure, and building and extending new roads to deal with traffic to ensure that the changes will accommodate the increased population. In addition, the rezoning must be broad-based and engage members of the public in an extensive stakeholder consultation not only because it is a constitutional imperative, but because the same involves extensive changes to the estate, affects the value of prices of land and houses/estates. Recent attempts to change zoning and land use in high-end estates have already been met with opposition from resident associations, with some moving to court to block various efforts and developments.
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