The Nairobi County government has revealed plans to regularise unplanned buildings to meet its set revenue target of Ksh19 billion.
From the regularisation proposal, the county can earn an extra Ksh3 billion.
This is after a series of concerns from Nairobi-based residents who lamented the construction of high-rise buildings along the area.
"There are situations where you find buildings being constructed at night because they do not have permits. Some developers get approval for two floors and go ahead to construct four floors, this can only be rectified through regularisation," County Finance Executive Charles Kerich stated.
He noted that the process will follow the due procedure to ensure the safety of tenants inside the buildings.
Owing to the concerns, residents along Rhapta Road launched an association to advocate for the restriction of said buildings.
Known as the Rhapta Road Residents Association, the residents termed the buildings as illegal and claimed that the owners often used underhanded schemes to acquire permits to construct the buildings.
Among the issues fronted by the association include water shortage, insecurity and noise pollution.
They highlighted that the situation will worsen if more people move into the series of proposed buildings.
The residents seek to ensure that the area does not permit the development of more than 35 per cent ground coverage and also restricts the number of floors in a building.
"There is a 17-storey structure proposed to be built, which was formally the Kuwait embassy. The property has been reverted to the government," one of the residents lamented.
"Now through dubious means, foreigners purchased the property and another 400 apartments will be constructed there."
"We get water supply once a week and though all these developments occur every day, we were informed that boreholes will be dug. How long can the groundwater supply be able to sustain this kind of unplanned structure."
Kileleshwa Member of County Assembly Robert Alai, who attended the launch, noted that he has been an advocate for their cause. We can make this better by having a plan as you can't expand the roads.
The area has witnessed a spike in crime-related activities, raising concerns among the residents.
"If you go to areas such as Githunguri Road, and Gichungu Road, you find electricity going off all the time," Alai pointed out.
