Dagoretti planning area · DC Policy 2026
Kawangware Commercial zoning
Kawangware Commercial is a planning zone in the Dagoretti area of Nairobi. Under the Development Control Policy 2026 it is for mixed use use. A building here can have up to 20 floors on the largest plots (fewer on smaller ones) and cover up to 60% of its plot. All its floors together can add up to 1,200% 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, and here the policy allows fewer floors on smaller plots. For example:
| Plot size | Area | Most floors | Largest footprint | Most floor space | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05 ha | 500 m² | 10 | 300 m² | 3,000 m² | |
| 0.0526 ha | 526 m² | 10 | 316 m² | 3,156 m² | A typical plot here |
| 0.1 ha | 1,000 m² | 20 | 600 m² | 12,000 m² | |
| 0.25 ha | 2,500 m² | 20 | 1,500 m² | 30,000 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 Kawangware Commercial
Plots of 0.1Ha and above 20 floors, 10 floors for plots on 0.05 ha, 7 floors on 0.03ha. subject to sewer and subject to road widening structure plan. Infrastructure: To secure approvals for commensurate expansion of sewer, water, electricity, roads by utility providers prior to commencement of densification. Privately developed infrastructure is also encouraged upon approval.
Quoted from the policy. These rules can change the figures above for particular plots — for example by plot size or for plots facing a named road.
Plots in Kawangware Commercial
We count 675 land parcels in this zone. Half of them are smaller than 0.0526 ha (526 m²); the middle half are between 0.0486 and 0.0931 ha.
Where Kawangware Commercial is
The zone covers about 74 ha across 3 wards.
Zones next to Kawangware Commercial
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 Kawangware Commercial
How many floors can I build in Kawangware Commercial?
Up to 20 floors on the largest plots under the Nairobi Development Control Policy 2026, and fewer on smaller ones: 10 on a 0.05 ha plot and 20 on a 0.1 ha plot. Check your exact plot on the Nairobi Maps map.
What is the minimum plot size in Kawangware Commercial?
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 Kawangware Commercial?
1,200%. All floors together can add up to 1,200% of the plot's area — for example 12,000 m² of floor space on a 1,000 m² plot. The ground coverage is 60%, so the building can stand on up to 600 m² of that plot.
Which wards does the Kawangware Commercial zone cover?
Kabiro, Riruta and Gatina wards, by the boundaries on the Nairobi Maps map.
How do I get approval to build in Kawangware Commercial?
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.