Governor Sakaja halts all building approvals, excavations in Nairobi

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has issued new directives on garbage disposal, excavations, and building developments in the city.

Governor Sakaja, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, ordered that all building development approvals be stopped pending a fresh review.

“All building development approvals have been halted for now until we can review all those that have been issued and are continuing in the city,” he said.

Sakaja also directed that all solid waste be dumped at the Dandora dumping site, warning that licences of errant service providers will be revoked.

“All private service providers of garbage and solid waste management to ensure solid waste is taken to the Dandora dump site. Those who go against that directive will have their licences cancelled forthwith and vehicles impounded,” he stated.

He went on to add that all excavations have been stopped with immediate effect since the structural integrity of buildings cannot be assured with the ongoing 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,” he said.

This comes weeks after Governor Sakaja said the construction of high-rise apartments in Kenya's posh neighborhoods of Kileleshwa and Lavington would not stop, amid public uproar on the issue.

He was speaking during a church service in Bahati on March 24 when he stated that the capital is taking an inevitable expanding trajectory and more room to accommodate more Kenyans must be created.

He even went on to state that the constructions might go higher in other areas around the city. 

“25 floors were area-specific (around the airbase) and not a blanket restriction. We have proposed an area-specific zoning framework that goes up to 75 floors in some areas. It is before the assembly,” he stated in a previous statement on X.

His pronouncement came amid public uproar from Kileleshwa residents who were blaming the Governor for converting the once leafy suburb into what they termed a concrete jungle of high-rise apartment blocks.