Nairobi River
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A stark report released by the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) has unveiled the critical urban planning challenges facing the nation.
According to the 2024 Status of Built Environment report, a mere 20 percent of the 911 urban centres in Kenya have secured necessary development approvals, leading to a proliferation of unregulated structures and exacerbating various developmental issues. The concept of the built environment—encompassing all man-made modifications, including buildings, infrastructure, and public spaces—has come under strain due to the longstanding lack of comprehensive urban land use plans.
Despite more than ten years of devolution, many counties have failed to effectively devise and implement these essential plans, resulting in rampant unplanned development and associated challenges dominating the landscape. Data collected in collaboration with the Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (KARA) reflect widespread concern among citizens from 19 counties, including Nairobi, Kisumu, and Nakuru. Respondents voice their frustrations over the rise of haphazard high-rise constructions that lack accompanying infrastructure.
Additionally, issues such as obstructed natural light, violations of zoning regulations, and privacy infringements are prevalent. A staggering 85 percent of respondents note a deficiency of green spaces, parks, and recreational areas in their neighbourhoods. The respondents underscore the need for urban areas to promote environmental well-being. The report also identifies illegal construction on wetlands, encroachments on public lands, and debris dumping in riparian reserves as urgent environmental issues requiring immediate attention.
The report attributes these urban planning challenges to the absence of coherent urban plans and insufficient funding for their execution by county governments. Under the County Governments Act of 2012, counties are mandated to dedicate at least 30 percent of their annual budgets to development expenditures. Unfortunately, many counties, especially those within the Nairobi Metropolitan Area and the major city counties of Mombasa and Nakuru, consistently fail to meet this requirement, raising alarms about their capacity to address urbanization pressures and infrastructure demands.
In response to these urgent challenges, AAK is advocating for counties to realign their priorities toward effective long-term planning and investment in development to secure sustainable urban futures. The lack of comprehensive County Spatial Plans (CSPs) has severely hindered effective land use management and preparedness for urbanization, impacting compliance with essential legal frameworks such as the National Building Code of 2024. Among the 911 urban centres, only 182 have approved urban plans, leaving nearly 50 percent entirely unplanned and another 15 percent relying on outdated schemes.
This oversight has led to phenomena such as urban encroachment, overwhelmed infrastructures, and environmental degradation. Therefore, effective urban land use planning is increasingly recognized as essential for sustainable resource management and responsive socio-economic strategies for urban populations. As of 2024, 32 percent of counties have CSPs at various implementation stages, while an additional 26 percent have drafted CSPs awaiting County Assembly approval.
However, a significant 40 percent of counties remain in the initial steps of CSP preparation. As Kenya's primary urban hubs, Nairobi and Mombasa are under an obligation to develop integrated city plans that align with broader urban management goals. The findings call for an urgent response from county governments to fulfill urban planning mandates actively, particularly in light of the rapid urban growth experienced in recent years. While there have been improvements since 2023—when 53 percent of counties had yet to embark on CSP preparation—the pace of planning remains slow, embodying the persistent hurdles in adhering to planning requirements.