The defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services earlier this year published a new development control policy for Nairobi to guide and control development within the city for the next ten years.

In the new Nairobi development control policy, the county government wants to impose a n infrastructure levy on development applications within one year, to facilitate infrastructural developments.

The policy also projects that Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company will extend distribution water and sewerage networks to 100% by 2035. Estimated water demand for the city is currently 579,000 cubic metres per day against a supply of 482,940 cubic metres. 

The county government says that at present, only 40% of residents with water connection receive continuous water supply. 

The growing demand for water and other services is reflected in the City’s growing population. Nairobi’s current population estimated at 4.7 million is expected to reach 5.2 million by 2030 at the current growth rate of 4.1%.

The policy also proposes for developers to restore infrastructure destroyed during construction to the original state within six months. The policy directs that occupation certificates will only be issued after infrastructure is restored.

Development approvals in areas earmarked for road expansion shall be granted subject to surrendering portions of land to facilitate expansion

The county also wants to promote transport-oriented developments along major roads like Langata Road, Mombasa Road and Thika Road, a concept that aims to position developments as close as possible to road networks.

The policy also proposes the development of an intelligent traffic management system within two years to reduce traffic congestion in collaboration with other government agencies.

On implementation, the county government also proposes to develop a one-stop development approval approach through constitution of the Urban Planning Technical Committee with membership drawn from the various bodies usually involved in the approval process, who will vet and approve development applications at one go. 

The proposal is set to simplify the approval process and eliminate delays in the approval process.

Other areas of intervention by the policy include solid waste management. The city currently produces approximately 876,000 tones of waste per year or 219 per capita per year with about 54% of waste being collected.

Nairobi’s current development control guidelines were last reviewed in 2006 and they were supposed to last until 2016.