Sakaja Directs All Nairobi CBD Landlords to Repaint Buildings in 90 Days

All buildings within Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) will have to be fitted with a fresh coat of paint within the next three months, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has directed.

Sakaja attended a church service at the Church of Christ in Africa in Kariobangi South on Sunday where he revealed plans to make the directive official on Monday.

“Everyone with buildings in the CBD, we will release a circular tomorrow. All those buildings must be painted in 90 days,” the governor said.

Sakaja revealed that the works going on in Nairobi were parts of a greater collaboration between the county and the national government, with the main focus being the rehabilitation of infrastructure like roads.

He added: “As you embark on the painting of buildings we will also be working as the county government to repair roads. We have received the financial support and I would personally like to thank the President.”

Sakaja’s announcement came after Nairobi City County Assembly Health Committee Chairperson Maurice Ochieng called on the county government to ensure all buildings are repainted.

Mr Ochieng noted that most buildings within the CBD were dilapidated on the outside, posing a health hazard to residents in the city.

The dirty and unpresentable state of most buildings in the CBD is also in violation of section 118b of Public Health Act Cap 242, according to Ochieng.

“The law on public nuisances under Section 118b of Public Health Act Cap 242 is clear and compliance is therefore irreversible. We want to caution the building owners against ignoring these provisions on public health,” he said.

Dig Deeper: Sakaja’s county government has been keen on a mass clean-up and rehabilitation of Nairobi, particularly the Central Business District.

In an effort to mitigate overcrowding in the CBD streets, the county government imposed a ban on hawking along walkways within the city centre.

Hawkers were also warned against engaging in business along main streets and roads, which the county government insists are meant for pedestrians and not for trading.

Nairobi County Environment Chief Officer Geoffrey Mosiria also recently led efforts to remove business signages in the Nairobi CBD.