Just two days after Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja directed landlords in the county’s central business district (CBD) to repaint all buildings, it has emerged that landlords with properties outside the CBD will also be required to comply with the directive.
In a notice issued by the County Chief Officer for Public Planning, Patrick Analo, developers with properties within the Westlands Shopping Center area will also be required to comply with the order.
Additionally, developers with buildings within Nairobi’s Upper Hill area will be required to apply a fresh coat of paint to their buildings.
The Upper Hill area hosts many government and private offices, key among them the Ministry of Health, Water, Transport and Kenya National Library.
A photo of the globe roundabout in Ngara area.
Photo
Mediabase Productions
The notice has further clarified the definition of buildings within the central business district that will be required to comply with the order.
Ngara, part of the CBD’s downtown area, has also been included in the list of designated zones where developers must adhere to the directive.
According to Analo, buildings located within the stretch of Uhuru Highway, Haile Selassie Avenue, University Way, and Kirinyaga Road will need to be repainted within the 90-day notice period that begins today.
The clarification follows an announcement made by Governor Sakaja on Sunday while attending a church service at the Church of Christ Africa in Kariobangi South, where he revealed plans to formalise the directive.
Sakaja explained that the repainting directive is part of broader beautification and cleaning efforts in Nairobi, undertaken in collaboration with the national government, with a primary focus on rehabilitating infrastructure within the capital.
Landlords in the affected areas have been given 90 days to comply with the order or face legal action.
“This notice/order takes effect immediately and shall lapse after 90 days, after which the County Government of Nairobi shall commence necessary legal enforcement against those who will not have repainted their buildings and provided security lighting for their premises,” the notice stated in part.
The directive is in line with the law on public nuisances under Section 118(b) of the Public Health Act (Cap 242), which mandates devolved units to ensure that buildings with deteriorating paint do not pose health risks to the public.
The County Government of Nairobi launched a citywide cleaning exercise this month, which included prior orders requiring hawkers to vacate the CBD.
Water bowsers from the County Government of Nairobi during a cleanup exercise at the CBD on January 13, 2025.
Johnson Sakaja