Sakaja lifts ban halting building approvals, excavations in Nairobi

Sakaja instituted the ban on April 29 during a period of intense rainfall throughout the city, further mandating the auditing of construction sites and buildings that had been approved over the last 24 months to ensure compliance to set regulations.

"The ban on excavations of new construction sites has also been lifted forthwith.  The suspension of approval requirements and exemption of fee payments on flooded-related repairs and renovations(walls & buildings) has also been lifted," Sakaja said in a statement to newsrooms.

He added that the Nairobi County government has since initiated a process to form a task force to audit the aforesaid construction sites.

"Arising from this the Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) through the acting County Secretary’s office has written to various stakeholders requesting them to forward names of professionals and representatives who will now form part of the task force. The task force shall convene on the 12th of June to commence the audit exercise across the city," he said.  

"The task force has 60 days within which to complete its work and submit a report to the Governor’s office for implementation."

Sakaja likewise reconstituted the Urban Technical Committee (UPTC) by calling for new representation from stakeholders who include architects, urban planners, environmentalists & engineers’ bodies among others.

"The UPTC is the responsible committee that deliberates and recommends granting building plan approvals," he said.

Sakaja made the April decree just weeks after asserting that the construction of high-rise apartments in Kenya's posh neighborhoods of Kileleshwa and Lavington would continue, amid public uproar on the issue.

“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 said on X then.

His pronouncement came amidst 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.