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

Extension of lease in Nairobi

Much of Nairobi’s land is leasehold: the title runs for a set number of years. Extending a lease before it runs out includes Nairobi City County’s approval, applied for through NPDMS. The lease itself is extended by the national land authorities, so the county’s approval is one step of several.

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

When you need it

Your leasehold title is nearing the end of its term.
A buyer or a bank wants a longer term left on the lease.

Who applies

The owner applies, usually through a professional — a registered physical planner or an advocate. 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.
The lease and its term	The title, and an official search on Ardhisasa	Many leases say what the land may be used for and for how long.
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.
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

With the county’s approval, the extension continues with the national land authorities, who set the new term and the charges.

Questions

How long does extension of lease approval take in Nairobi?

What is the difference between extension and renewal of a lease?

An extension adds years to a lease that has not yet run out. A renewal grants a new lease after the old one has expired.

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.