Guide · Nairobi City County approvals · Updated 2026-10-19

Land amalgamation in Nairobi

Amalgamation joins two or more plots into one, often to build something larger than either plot allows. It needs Nairobi City County’s approval, applied for through NPDMS, and in the county’s system it goes in three steps: the amalgamation application, its final approval and the amalgamation certificate.

Check your plot on the map Apply on NPDMS (Nairobi City County)

When you need it

You own neighbouring plots and want them treated as one.
A building you plan needs more land than one plot gives.

Who applies

A registered physical planner prepares the application and submits it for the owner of the plots. Applications are made online on the Nairobi Planning and Development Management System (NPDMS).

Check the plot before you apply

Most of what decides an application is already on the map. Check these first:

Check	Where	Why it matters
The plot and its number	Search the map by LR, block or FR number	The application is made against the plot’s number. Make sure the parcel on the map is the land you mean.
What the zone allows	Its zone page, or tap the plot on the map	The most floors, ground coverage, plot ratio and use. A proposal outside them is not approved as drawn.
The zone of each plot	Tap each plot on the map	Plots in different zones follow different rules.
The survey	The plot’s survey plan (FR) and index map sheet, on the map	The drawings must sit on the land as it was surveyed.
Who owns it	An official search on Ardhisasa	The owner, or someone they authorise, applies.

How the application moves

Prepare. Check the plot against its zone, the rivers and roads around it and any airport limit, then have the drawings or the application prepared by the registered professionals the kind of approval needs.
Submit on NPDMS. The professionals submit online: the architect’s drawings, the engineer’s structural design, the physical planner’s application, each as a stage of its own where the kind of approval needs it.
Invoicing. The county bills the fees and the application waits until they are paid.
Circulation. The application is sent round the county’s departments for comment — planning, roads, water, environment and others as the plot needs. Each may approve it, ask for changes or add conditions.
Decision. The county approves, approves with conditions, or rejects. An approval carries a PLUPA number and its conditions; read them, because the work must follow them.
After approval. Build or use the land as approved, within the time the approval allows. Changes need approval of their own.

How long it takes

There is no fixed time. An application moves once it is complete and its fees are paid, and then waits on each department that must comment. Incomplete drawings, a plot that does not fit its zone, and unpaid invoices are the usual reasons for delay — so check the plot first, and follow your application’s stage on NPDMS.

After approval

After the certificate, a licensed surveyor surveys the joined plot and the Ministry of Lands registers it under one title.

Questions

How long does amalgamation approval take in Nairobi?

Can I join plots that are in different zones?

The plots can lie in different zones of the Development Control Policy 2026, and then each part follows its own zone’s rules unless the county decides otherwise. Tap each plot on the Nairobi Maps map to see its zone before you apply.

Is Nairobi Maps the county’s approval system?

No. Nairobi Maps is an independent map of Nairobi’s land and planning rules, for checking a plot before you apply. Applications are made to, and decided by, Nairobi City County on NPDMS.

Nairobi Maps is not part of Nairobi City County. This guide explains the usual route; requirements, fees and steps change, so confirm them with the county.