Makadara planning area · DC Policy 2026
Industrial Area zoning
Industrial Area is a planning zone in the Makadara area of Nairobi. Under the Development Control Policy 2026 it is for industrial use. A building here can have up to 3 floors and cover up to 80% of its plot. All its floors together can add up to 240% of the plot's area. The smallest plot allowed is 0.05 ha (500 m²).
Figures from the Nairobi City County Development Control Policy 2026, as mapped by Nairobi Maps. Updated 2026-10-24.
What the figures mean for a plot
The footprint is the plot's area times the ground coverage. The floor space is the plot's area times the plot ratio — unless the floors run out first. For example:
| Plot size | Area | Most floors | Largest footprint | Most floor space | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05 ha | 500 m² | 3 | 400 m² | 1,200 m² | |
| 0.1 ha | 1,000 m² | 3 | 800 m² | 2,400 m² | |
| 0.137 ha | 1,365 m² | 3 | 1,092 m² | 3,276 m² | A typical plot here |
| 0.25 ha | 2,500 m² | 3 | 2,000 m² | 6,000 m² |
Read the way the Nairobi Maps map reads the policy. Across Nairobi, a plot smaller than 0.05 ha (500 m²) can hold only one home. For your exact plot, open it on the map: Nairobi Maps works the figures out for that plot.
What the policy says about Industrial Area
The policy adds no special rules for this zone beyond the figures above.
Plots in Industrial Area
We count 1,497 land parcels in this zone. Half of them are smaller than 0.137 ha (1,365 m²); the middle half are between 0.0662 and 0.402 ha.
Where Industrial Area is
The zone covers about 10.1 km² across 2 wards.
Zones next to Industrial Area
- Airport North
- Buruburu
- Donholm Commercial Core
- Hamza
- Kaloleni
- Langata Commercial Core
- Madaraka
- Makongeni
- Mbotela
- Mukuru Kwa Njenga/Reuben
- Pipeline
- Railway City - Muthurwa
- South C
- Upper Hill and Community
Building or changing the use here?
Applications go to Nairobi City County on NPDMS. How planning approval works in Nairobi, which approval you need, and what to check on the plot first. Many projects also need NEMA’s environmental licence: NEMA licences in Nairobi.
Questions about Industrial Area
How many floors can I build in Industrial Area?
Up to 3 floors under the Nairobi Development Control Policy 2026. The zone's own rules can change the number for particular plots, so check your exact plot on the Nairobi Maps map.
What is the minimum plot size in Industrial Area?
0.05 hectares, which is 500 square metres. Land in this zone cannot be split into plots smaller than that. Across Nairobi, a plot under 0.05 ha can hold only one home.
What is the plot ratio in Industrial Area?
240%. All floors together can add up to 240% of the plot's area — for example 2,400 m² of floor space on a 1,000 m² plot. The ground coverage is 80%, so the building can stand on up to 800 m² of that plot.
Which wards does the Industrial Area zone cover?
Viwandani and Landimawe wards, by the boundaries on the Nairobi Maps map.
How do I get approval to build in Industrial Area?
Building plans are submitted to Nairobi City County through its online planning system, NPDMS, by a registered architect and engineer, and they must keep within this zone’s limits set out above. If the use you want is not one the zone allows, a change of use comes first. Check your plot on the Nairobi Maps map before the drawings are made.
This page describes the policy, not a decision. Nairobi City County decides every application. Check a plot's registered details with an official search — see how to do a land search in Nairobi.