County building approvals in Kenya: the practical 2026 roadmap

Building approvals in Kenya are run by the counties under the Physical and Land Use Planning Act and various county finance and planning laws. The process is procedural, multi-stakeholder and time-consuming, but predictable when run properly. Here is the 2026 roadmap.

Who is involved

• County Department of Physical Planning
• County Department of Public Works
• County Public Health Office
• NEMA (National Environment Management Authority) for projects above threshold
• National Construction Authority (NCA) for contractor registration and project notification
• Water and sewerage utility
• KPLC for power connection
• County Fire Department for some projects

Step 1: PPA1 (planning approval)

• Architect prepares application with drawings
• Submitted to County Physical Planning Department
• Reviewed for zoning compliance
• Typical fee: KES 20,000 to KES 80,000 for residential
• Typical timeline: 30 to 90 days

Step 2: building plan approval

• Architectural drawings, structural drawings, electrical and plumbing drawings submitted
• County Public Works review
• Public Health review (sanitation, waste, water)
• Fee: percentage of estimated construction cost (typically 0.5 to 1.5 percent)
• Typical timeline: 30 to 90 days

Step 3: NEMA (environmental impact)

• Required for projects above defined thresholds (large residential, mixed use, commercial)
• EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) conducted by registered consultant
• Submitted to NEMA for review
• Public participation requirement
• Fee: 0.05 to 0.1 percent of project cost
• Typical timeline: 60 to 150 days for full EIA

Step 4: NCA (contractor and project)

• Contractor must be NCA registered for the relevant category
• Project notified to NCA at start of works
• NCA project levy: 0.5 percent of project cost
• Typical timeline: 7 to 21 days for notification

Step 5: utility connections

• Water connection application
• Sewer connection or septic system approval
• KPLC power connection
• Telecoms and fibre

Step 6: occupation certificate

• On completion of build
• County inspection
• Occupation certificate issued
• Required for connection of utilities on official tariffs and for some insurance coverage

Total cost benchmark

• For a typical 250 sqm Nairobi standalone home, total approval and consent costs typically run KES 200,000 to KES 700,000 depending on county
• Plus utility connections KES 100,000 to KES 500,000+
• Plus consultant fees (architect, QS, structural, electrical, mechanical, environmental)

Total timeline benchmark

• Pre-construction approvals: 4 to 8 months realistic
• Build: 12 to 24 months
• Occupation certificate: 1 to 3 months after practical completion

How to keep it on schedule

• Engage architect and QS who have delivered in your specific county
• Run the consents in parallel, not in series, where possible
• Submit complete files first time (incomplete files get sent back)
• Engage NCA-registered contractor from the start (avoids re-papering)
• Build a relationship with the county office; follow up actively

Most build delays in Kenya trace to one of two failures: a contractor who was not NCA registered for the right category, or a consent that was filed incomplete and bounced back twice. Both are preventable.

How Goldstay handles it

For build clients we coordinate the consent stack and the consultant team end to end. Read also our pieces on cost of building and architects and quantity surveyors.