‘Only way to go is up’ – Sakaja defends high-rising apartments amid complaints from Lavington, Kileleshwa residents

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has defended his government over criticism for allowing high-rise buildings in areas like Lavington and Kileleshwa.

The residents of these areas have been raising concerns over the new buildings, but according to Sakaja, it is the only way to accommodate Nairobi’s ever-growing population.

“The height restrictions have been removed. Na watu wa Nairobi wanielewe vizuri, kwa sababu nimesikia watu wakilalamika upande wa Kileleshwa na Lavington kuwa nyumba yetu ilikuwa one storey, zilikuwa ndogo na sasa apartments zimekuja.

“Nairobi is 696 square kilometres; in 2050, it will have a population of 10.5 million people. Tutapanua Nairobi? Hapana. The only place we have to go is up.

“Hio ndio ardhi tumebaki nayo. The only thing we need to do is sewerage na maji, na drainage. Hili nyumba ambazo tunajenga zikuwe na capacity mzuri,” Sakaja said during a Sunday church service in Bahati Estate.

Critics

One of the main critics of the high-rise buildings in the areas once considered posh is city lawyer Donald Kipkorir.

Kipkorir has always protested by giving examples of how other cities across Africa and the world have maintained their traditional posh status.

“Cape Town was established in 1652. There, you won’t find high-rise apartments in the upmarket estates. You won’t even find residential buildings over four floors anywhere in Cape Town.

“There, urban planning laws are strictly adhered to. You can’t construct a residential building in Cape Town without sufficient road, water, sewage, and power infrastructure,” Kipkorir said in his latest post on X.

According to the lawyer, Nairobi is turning into a concrete slum because planning laws are not adhered to.

“Nairobi was established in 1900. You would have expected that Nairobi, being a young city, would adopt the latest urban planning laws that make a city livable.

“Instead, Nairobi is being turned into a concrete slum under the false argument of population growth. Cape Town, Copenhagen, Vienna, Zurich, Vancouver, Toronto, and Geneva are older than Nairobi by hundreds of years, yet they are the best livable cities in the world.

“What ails Nairobi isn’t population but greed and corruption. There is enough space to expand outwards to create Nairobi dormitories in Kajiado, Machakos, Narok, and Nakuru,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Bahati church service was attended by President William Ruto, Sakaja’s deputy Njoroge Muchiri, Makadara Member of Parliament George Aladwa, and other leaders.