Stop Nairobi's Development Control Policy 2026 Before It Irreversibly Damages Our City!

Imagine a 15-storey apartment block on less than one-eighth of an acre, with no supporting infrastructure. That is exactly what the Nairobi City County Development Control Policy 2026 entrenches, and it has already been gazetted!

In recent years, the quality of life and the environment in Nairobi have steadily deteriorated due to unsustainable urban development, particularly in the western parts of the city. In March 2026, Nairobi witnessed devastating floods, worsened by extensive uphill construction and the replacement of natural green spaces with concrete. Residents' associations across the city have engaged the County Government, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), and even the courts. Instead of addressing these concerns, Nairobi City County has now chosen to entrench this development model as official policy.

As an association that has witnessed these impacts firsthand, we are compelled to speak out for the communities whose voices are being systematically ignored.

The Nairobi Development Control Policy 2026 and the accompanying Property Matrix pave the way for unsustainable high-density developments that far outpace the infrastructure needed to support them. In Kileleshwa alone, the policy permits developments of up to 30 storeys on one acre, 25 storeys on half an acre, 20 storeys on a quarter acre, and 15 storeys on less than one-eighth of an acre, without any corresponding commitment to expand roads, sewer systems, schools, hospitals, parks, or other essential infrastructure.

The County is also bypassing the Local Physical and Land Use Development Plan (LPDP) process established under the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019. LPDPs are professionally prepared, community-driven planning instruments that are the lawful basis for development control. Instead, Nairobi has imposed a blanket policy developed without meaningful local participation, effectively stripping communities of their statutory right to shape the future of their own neighbourhoods.

This policy directly subverts the Constitution's commitment to devolution and community participation. Article 174 and Paragraph 14 of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution recognise the role of county governments in promoting public participation and enabling communities to manage local affairs. Yet the Nairobi Development Control Policy 2026 moves in the opposite direction by replacing community-centred planning with blanket development controls that leave residents with little meaningful say over the future of their own neighbourhoods.

But this is about far more than buildings. It is about the kind of city we are leaving to future generations. Nairobi's trees, biodiversity, rivers, and open spaces are disappearing under relentless concrete development, while infrastructure struggles to cope with ever-increasing densities. How can Nairobi remain a healthy, liveable city if today's planning decisions ignore tomorrow's consequences?

The effects are already visible. Downstream communities such as Waruku are living with an overwhelmed sewer system, where raw sewage is being discharged directly into the Nairobi River, creating a serious public health and environmental hazard. These concerns are not theoretical, they are the lived reality of residents across our city.

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has also failed in its statutory duty to safeguard our environment. It has not ensured that development approvals adequately consider the availability of supporting environmental infrastructure or conformity with land use plans, as required under the Environmental (Impact Assessment and Audit) Regulations. More fundamentally, NEMA failed to require Nairobi City County to undertake the Strategic Environmental Assessment mandated under Section 57A of the National Environment Management Act before implementing a policy with such far-reaching environmental consequences. Environmental Impact Assessment has increasingly become a developer approval process rather than a meaningful safeguard for communities and the environment.

Finally, the Nairobi County Assembly approved this policy despite serious concerns about the process leading to its adoption. The policy was adopted on the basis of a shallow Sectoral Committee Report and was not substantively debated in the County Assembly before being approved. Nairobi deserves better than planning decisions that will shape the city for generations without adequate scrutiny, public participation, or environmental safeguards.

We are not opposed to development. Nairobi needs more housing, investment, and economic growth. But development must be lawful, sustainable, infrastructure-led, and guided by the people who live in our communities—not imposed through blanket policies that ignore local realities.

We therefore call upon the Senate of the Republic of Kenya to intervene by:

1. Requiring Nairobi City County to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Development Control Policy 2026.
2. Restoring residents' statutory right to meaningful public participation in development decisions.
3. Directing immediate action to resolve the sewer crisis affecting Waruku and other downstream communities.
4. Holding NEMA accountable for enforcing Kenya's environmental laws.

Sign this petition and stand with us to demand policies that reflect the needs and voices of Nairobi's communities, preserve our environment, and protect our future!