Airport North planning area · DC Policy 2026
Nyayo Estate zoning
Nyayo Estate is a planning zone in the Airport North area of Nairobi. Under the Development Control Policy 2026 it is for medium and low density residential use. A building here can have up to 4 floors and cover up to 50% of its plot. All its floors together can add up to 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. For example:
| Plot size | Area | Most floors | Largest footprint | Most floor space | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0145 ha | 145 m² | 4 | 73 m² | 290 m² | Under 0.05 ha: one home only |
| 0.05 ha | 500 m² | 4 | 250 m² | 1,000 m² | |
| 0.1 ha | 1,000 m² | 4 | 500 m² | 2,000 m² | |
| 0.25 ha | 2,500 m² | 4 | 1,250 m² | 5,000 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 Nyayo Estate
No densification
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 Nyayo Estate
We count 823 land parcels in this zone. Half of them are smaller than 0.0145 ha (145 m²); the middle half are between 0.0139 and 0.0169 ha. The typical plot here is already smaller than the zone’s smallest plot size, so most plots cannot be split further.
Where Nyayo Estate is
The zone covers about 75 ha across one ward.
Zones next to Nyayo Estate
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 Nyayo Estate
How many floors can I build in Nyayo Estate?
Up to 4 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 Nyayo Estate?
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 Nyayo Estate?
200%. All floors together can add up to 200% of the plot's area — for example 2,000 m² of floor space on a 1,000 m² plot. The ground coverage is 50%, so the building can stand on up to 500 m² of that plot.
Which wards does the Nyayo Estate zone cover?
Embakasi ward, by the boundaries on the Nairobi Maps map.
How do I get approval to build in Nyayo Estate?
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.