Race for the skies as Nairobi okays city buildings to 75 floors

Some 10 years ago, no one would ever have imagined there would be taller buildings in the country than the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) and Times Tower.

But with time, stylish and soaring buildings have been coming up in the capital city, mostly around Upper Hill, Kilimani and Westlands areas.

Even so, a recent attempt by an international hotel to put up a 42-storey building in the Upper Hill area, Nairobi flopped, just after the developers finished excavating a deep foundation that remains gaping to date along Ngong Road.

Some of the issues raised then included the safety of such towering structures and proximity to some key installations among other challenges.

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Under the Nairobi City County Development Control policy that has already been subjected to public participation, the county will allow developers to go up to 75 floors in areas including Upper Hill, Uhuru Highway, Tom Mboya, Haile Selassie, and the University Way.

Proposed height

The number of floors in Riverside, Parklands and Ngara West will be capped at 20, while in Muthangari, Kileleshwa and Kilimani, they will be set at 15.

In areas like Westlands Central Business District (CBD) and Westlands-Museum Hill, the proposed height has been set at 30 floors while Riverside and City Park at 20 floors.

According to the draft policy, buildings in Umoja, Kayole and Komarock will be allowed to go up to eight levels, while Mathare, Dandora and Korogocho areas will have five floors.

In Kariokor, Mlango Kubwa and Eastleigh, commercial and residential houses will not go up beyond 25 storeys.   

Karen, Gigiri, Runda, Kitisuru, Nyari, Muthaiga and Rosyln Estate, areas considered to be home to the super-rich, have been classified under single dwellings.

This means a building with one or more rooms designed for residential living purposes by one household that is disconnected from any other unit.

In Eastlands, the areas where high-rise buildings will not be allowed include Jacaranda, Sosian Estate, Nasra Gardens, Harambee NCC, Rabai Road Estate, Utawala, Ruai and Kamulu areas.

The proposal is already attracting mixed reactions with the county insisting that plans must be put in place while residents and experts argue that more needs to be done to avoid any hitches that come with such decisions.

Faster rate

Nairobi County Chief Officer for Urban Planning Patrick Analo, for instance, argued that the city is growing at a faster rate - at four per cent, adding that every year about 400,000 people come to Nairobi.

“That is why we need a development policy because from 2004 up to 2025, we have not had an updated development control policy and we cannot stay like this without a framework,” Analo explained.

“When residents go to court over some of the approvals being done in their area, or someone builds contrary to what has been approved or illegal structure, the court will ask for a development control policy, that is why we must have it,” he added.

Currently, the chief officer said Nairobi is also attracting more investors from China, the Middle East and even Europe, and when they come they must find all the necessary legal frameworks in place so that they can invest.

“Many people have been asking if Nairobi is able to sustain the buildings that go up to 75 floors but what they don’t understand is that you will wake up one day and go to put up such a building,” explained Analo

“This is just a vision, that is why it is called a policy, and you have to consider many factors. For example, you cannot put up a 75-floor house on a quarter acre of land, you must have one acre.”

Once the draft policy is approved, the county says in the next 20 or 30 years, it will be easy to advise investors on the number of floors that they are supposed to build in specific areas.

A three-day public participation was held to hear the views of engineers, planners, architects, developers, contractors and residents.

During the session, planners and architects argued the draft policy did not address issues like water supply, electricity and other issues.

It was however during the turn of residents that more issues were raised with the majority arguing that those who developed the draft policy did not do proper groundwork.

Fault line

Samuel Kalama, an administration manager of Upper Hill on behalf of residents argued a lot needs to be done before developers are allowed to go up 75 floors in the area, citing that Nairobi is not far from the fault line.

“Sometimes last year, an earthquake was reported 70 kilometres away from the city and it was felt here. Now imagine a building that is 75 floors. We are not against going that high but we are just concerned it will be good to be cautious so that as they are going higher, have they put measures in place,” Kalama explained.

“Wide consultations should be done, including hearing views from geology experts, engineers, architects and planners so as they approve such heights to ensure that all those factors have been put in place.”

The residents argued that deep excavations when laying foundations could destroy water tables while others were afraid that the buildings that are already up could develop cracks.

“We are willing as a community to know how far we can go but we have a geological survey in place and also planners and the community to know about the height because it should be proportional to the size of land,” Kalama noted.

Other issues raised by the residents were the safety of the buildings, drainage systems, security and waste disposal management, among other issues.

Loresho residents through their association said the neighbourhood ought to be retained as low-density areas to keep the city serene.

Some residents accused the county of turning the city into a concrete jungle by allowing some developers to illegally turn a low-density area into a commercial zone.

“The question is why are we designating those areas as low density but when it comes to approvals, we approve the constructions,” Maria Kananda, a resident, posed.

Miana Mburu, who spoke on behalf of Parklands residents, noted that the area’s infrastructure development is alarming.

“We have experienced flooding in Westlands despite being among the high-end areas. It is also shocking that Parklands does not have a public toilet despite having raised this years,” he said.

Shadrack Kuria of the Manyani Resident Association noted that since the construction of the Expressway, their neighbourhood has also been experiencing flooding.

He added that their pleas to concerned authorities like the Kenya National Highways Authority have been futile. Residents from posh areas like Lavington, Runda, Kitusuru, Roslyn, and Karen noted the county ought not to interfere with their current status.