Ruai planning area · DC Policy 2026
Ruai Industrial zoning
Ruai Industrial is a planning zone in the Ruai area of Nairobi. Under the Development Control Policy 2026 it is for residential, Light Industrial and Agricultural use. A building here can have up to 3 floors and cover up to 60% of its plot. All its floors together can add up to 180% of the plot's area. The smallest plot allowed is 0.4 ha (4,000 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0338 ha | 338 m² | 3 | 203 m² | 608 m² | Under 0.05 ha: one home only |
| 0.05 ha | 500 m² | 3 | 300 m² | 900 m² | Below this zone’s smallest plot |
| 0.1 ha | 1,000 m² | 3 | 600 m² | 1,800 m² | Below this zone’s smallest plot |
| 0.25 ha | 2,500 m² | 3 | 1,500 m² | 4,500 m² | Below this zone’s smallest plot |
| 0.4 ha | 4,000 m² | 3 | 2,400 m² | 7,200 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 Ruai Industrial
3 floors for residential on 0.05Ha
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 Ruai Industrial
We count 897 land parcels in this zone. Half of them are smaller than 0.0338 ha (338 m²); the middle half are between 0.027 and 0.0348 ha. The typical plot here is already smaller than the zone’s smallest plot size, so most plots cannot be split further.
Where Ruai Industrial is
The zone covers about 1.9 km² across one ward.
Zones next to Ruai Industrial
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 Ruai Industrial
How many floors can I build in Ruai Industrial?
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 Ruai Industrial?
0.4 hectares, which is 4,000 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 Ruai Industrial?
180%. All floors together can add up to 180% of the plot's area — for example 1,800 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 Ruai Industrial zone cover?
Mwiki ward, by the boundaries on the Nairobi Maps map.
How do I get approval to build in Ruai Industrial?
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.