Nairobi County Government has announced a six-month amnesty period allowing property owners and housing developers to legalize unauthorized developments without incurring penalties.
In a public notice issued on Thursday, December 18, County Executive Committee Member for Built Environment and Urban Planning, Patrick Mbogo, announced the coming into force of the Nairobi City County Regularization of Unauthorized Developments Regulations, 2025.
The regulations offer a one-time opportunity for owners of both completed and ongoing developments to bring their properties into compliance with planning laws, with the county pledging to waive all penalties associated with unauthorized construction during the amnesty window.
The regularization program encompasses a wide range of developments, including changes or extensions of use to land or buildings, subdivisions and amalgamations of land, building plans, occupation approvals, and lease renewals.
Under the amnesty provisions, applicants are encouraged to submit what they have, even if the documentation is incomplete. The County Urban Planning Department has committed to guiding applicants on additional requirements as part of the review process.
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Successful applicants will receive conditional approvals, and upon meeting set conditions, will be issued a Certificate of Compliance. Following this, developments will be formally recognized and entered into county records.
Chief Officer for Urban Development, Patrick Analo Akivaga, explained that the initiative aims to enhance property rights, tenure security, and access to approval documents required for credit and finance.
The program also seeks to reduce enforcement disputes, prevent demolitions, integrate developments into county infrastructure plans, and promote safer, more organized urban growth.
"This is a collaborative process," the notice states, urging housing owners and developers to come forward within the stipulated timeframe or risk enforcement action once the amnesty period lapses.
However, the county has drawn clear boundaries on what will not be regularized. Structures built on public land, riparian reserves, protected areas, unsafe buildings, and developments violating court orders will be excluded from the amnesty program.
The notice emphasizes that all applications must be certified by registered professionals, including Physical Planners, Architects, and Engineers, who will be held accountable for the submissions they make.
Application fees will be charged according to the Nairobi City County Finance Act, and submissions can be made through the Nairobi Planning and Development Management System (NPDMS), sub-county offices, or City Hall.
Analo has called on all affected property owners to take advantage of the window, warning that compliance will be strictly enforced after the six-month deadline expires in June 2026.
This comes just days after Governor Johnson Sakaja rolled out a separate land rate waiver targeting a deepening compliance crisis among property owners in the capital.
On Sunday, December 14, Nairobi County announced a year-end waiver running from December 15 to December 31, offering to eliminate 100 percent of accumulated interest and penalties for landowners who settle outstanding arrears within that period.
According to Receiver of Revenue Tiras Njoroge, that incentive represented a final effort by the county administration to ease financial pressure on taxpayers during the festive season while simultaneously boosting the county's own-source revenue collection.
Njoroge warned at the time that landowners who failed to update their land rate records would be treated as defaulters from January 1, 2026, with the waiver period serving as the final opportunity for compliance without penalties.
The dual amnesty initiatives, one targeting land rates and another addressing unauthorized development, signal the county government's strategy of using limited-time incentives to bring property owners into compliance before reverting to strict enforcement measures.
