City Hall targets Ksh5B more from land rates
By Alvin Mwangi, July 8, 2025City Hall is targeting to collect an additional Ksh5 billion from land rates after the County Assembly passed the Nairobi City County Regularisation of Unauthorized Development Bill, 2025.
The bill, which is awaiting signing into law by Governor Johnson Sakaja, will help the county include more landowners and developers in the valuation roll.
It provides the county with the opportunity to regularise all unauthorised developments that still meet the required standards.
Chief Officer for Urban Planning Patrick Onalo yesterday explained that the county is targeting the Eastlands areas of Kasarani, Utawala, Mwiki, Embakasi, Roysambu, Pipeline and other estates with existing unauthorised developments.
He further explained that some of the targeted areas have land that originally belonged to land-buying companies or government land that was invaded by squatters, but the ownership has been subject to court proceedings.
“All those areas have almost 2 million city residents so with this bill we can bring the owners and developers on board so that they can get approval for the land they subdivided,” he said
Most of the owners have been fighting for titles, with the county stating that almost all titles have been issued.
“We now want them to submit their building proposals so that we can include them in the valuation roll.”
The planning department is expected to carry out a special census of all the buildings and developments in the identified areas.
However, all unauthorized development made on any public land will not be regularized.
This means all development on existing or proposed roads, railway lines, communications and other civic facilities or public utilities will not be regularised.
Unauthorised developments on forest land or river banks and riparian areas as defined by the Environmental Management and Coordination Act will also not be regularised.
The land will instead be recovered for its originally intended purpose.
Once the bill is passed, an Advisory Committee and Regularisation Technical Committee will be formed, and all owners are expected to receive notices to make applications for regularisation.
All plans and documents must be prepared by licensed professionals.