Nairobi County Moves to Define Boundaries Around State and Military Installations

Nairobi, Kenya — 2025-09-12 15:30 EAT. Nairobi County Government has proposed a planning guide aimed at clearly demarcating boundaries for critical national installations to avoid development conflicts, revenue disputes, and security concerns. These include State House, JKIA, Wilson Airport, Langata and Kahawa barracks, Moi Air Base and other military, aviation, and state facilities. 

1) The Latest

• What happened now: Nairobi County’s City Planning Department issued a notice calling for precise boundary definitions around national installations. 

• Why it matters: The lack of defined borders has created overlaps in jurisdiction between county authorities and national agencies, leading to disputes over development permissions, levies, rates, land use, and enforcement. 

• Status: Proposal/guide issued; under stakeholder consultation. 

2) Context in Brief

• Nairobi is dense and urban pressure places development adjacent to state/military installations. Without clear demarcations, private developers may build in zones affecting operations or security. 

• Legal frameworks (Physical and Land Use Planning Regulations, 2021) and county development planning require clarity in boundaries and zoning. 

3) Law, Policy, and Process

• Relevant laws/regulations:

  • Physical and Land Use Planning (General Development Permission and Control) Regulations, 2021 (Legal Notice 253) require that developments around strategic installations be referred for verification and compatibility. 

  • Nairobi County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) sets priorities for spatial planning, zoning, infrastructure management. 

• Mandates:

  • County Government (City Planning Department) handles planning approvals, zoning, and development control within County boundaries.

  • National agencies (Defence, Transport, Aviation, etc.) oversee operations of installations like airports, barracks, airbases.

• What should happen next per policy:

  1. County to consult with national agencies to define exact legal boundaries of installations.

  2. Updating zoning maps and development control policies to reflect these boundaries.

  3. Harmonizing permit, rate, and fee collection structures where jurisdictional overlaps exist.

  4. Ensuring changes are gazetted so that stakeholders — developers, residents, security agencies — are informed.

4) Voices and Stakeholders

• Nairobi County Government / City Planning Department: Driving the boundary-definition guide to reduce disputes and increase planning clarity. 

• Developers & Land Owners: Likely to benefit from clarity around where county authority ends and national agency involvement begins.

• National Agencies (Defence, Aviation, Transport): Will need to coordinate to set or confirm boundaries.

• Residents and local political units: Could be impacted (ward/constituency assignments, service delivery, permits) once boundaries are formalized.

5) Evidence & Data Box

6) Risks, Implications, Scenarios

• Administrative friction: Possible resistance from national agencies used to de facto control over certain buffer zones.

• Revenue loss / gain: Clarification may affect which authority collects rates or permits in grey areas, potentially changing revenues.

• Political/constituency changes: If zones fall under new jurisdiction, residents/employees in those zones might be reassigned ward/constituency, affecting voting registration and local service jurisdiction.

• Security implications: Clearer boundaries help reduce security risks associated with encroachment near sensitive installations.

7) What We Don’t Know Yet

• The precise boundary lines as proposed or under consideration.

• Whether existing residents or businesses in affected overlap zones will be reclassified, compensated, or grandfathered.

• How and when mapping, surveying, and legal gazetting will happen.

• What the timeline is for implementation and enforcement.

• How resident or stakeholder consultation will proceed and how objections will be handled.

8) Timeline

9) What to Watch

• Publication of maps or cadastral delineations for the installations.

• Formal gazetting of boundary definitions.

• Updates to zoning maps, development permit workflows to incorporate new boundaries.

• Feedback or objections from national security institutions or residents/businesses in overlap zones.