Nairobi underground railway Phase I to need five new county bills and planning regulations
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Nairobi's 30-kilometre mass rapid transit underground rail blueprint identifies five county bills plus land value capture and transit-oriented development policies to govern construction and development around stations.
Nairobi's planned underground railway will require a new set of county laws, planning regulations and policies before construction and station-area development can proceed, according to the 30-kilometre Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System (NMRTS) plan presented to the Nairobi City County Executive Cabinet on July 21, 2026.
Five county bills have been identified to provide the legal and governance framework for the MRTS. The Nairobi MRTS Authority Bill would establish the institutions and mandates required to oversee the system, while other proposed laws would provide guidelines for financing, transport integration and protection of the railway corridor.
Planning regulations would cover MRTS corridor zoning, station area development, building height and density, parking management, as well as heritage and environmental protection, guiding land use and development around the railway while supporting sustainable urban growth.
A Land Value Capture (LVC) policy has also been identified as a requirement for financing the MRTS and related infrastructure. It would define financing tools including betterment levies, impact fees, tax increment financing, air rights and development charges, and establish mechanisms for revenue management, ring-fencing, stakeholder participation and benefit sharing.
The framework further proposes a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy to promote compact, mixed-use and transit-supportive communities around MRTS stations, integrating housing, jobs, retail, services and public spaces while encouraging affordable housing and social inclusion. It would also set guidelines for station-area design, streetscapes and public spaces, alongside incentives and partnerships to support TOD projects.
Nairobi City County has also identified immediate decisions needed to accelerate Phase I, including Cabinet endorsement of the phase and the wider MRTS programme, approval of the preferred alignment and scope, the financing and public-private partnership approach, enabling institutions and the governance framework, and national and county resource commitments. The county plans to establish a multidisciplinary Project Steering Committee and technical working groups covering planning, engineering, finance, legal matters, environment, land, Transit-Oriented Development and Land Value Capture.