In July 2023 the county government of Kajiado launched its ten-year County Spatial Plan (CPS). The plan, which has been in the works for a couple of years, is meant to cover 2019 to 2029. Its main objective is to provide clear guidelines that will help stakeholders achieve optimized land use that complements the county’s resources.
One of the key highlights in the plan were the proposals on land subdivision limitations. The main concern for most real estate companies and landowners in the county was that limitations would affect businesses and general freedom on how to use land. Kajiado county is often referred to as Nairobi’s bedroom as more people invest in real estate here to accommodate Nairobi’s growing working class population.
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Misinformation
Some speculated with the new proposals, buyers would have to fork out more to afford a piece of land in the county’s prime locations. While the proposals do place limitations on subdivision- it is not entirely true that landowners will not be allowed to subdivide beyond 100 by 100 plots as reported in some news outlets.
In reality, the plan tackles each sub-county and different municipalities on a case-by-case basis, providing clear guidelines for each. The plan seems to have taken into consideration the existing developments in different locations and the emerging challenges.
Growing Population
The spatial plan is an elaborate 478-page document with detailed proposals that touch on both rural and urban land. It is the kind of plan anyone planning to invest in Kajiado should read to understand what they can or cannot do with their investment.
The plan is pegged on several challenges the county is facing such as rapid population growth which opens up the county to uncontrolled development, excessive pressure on infrastructure, diminishing grazing land (Kajiado county is home to many pastoralists), human-wildlife conflict, land grabbing and sprouting informal settlements. The county’s population is estimated to be growing at a rate of 5.5%, which is relatively high.
The proposals in this spatial plan mirror the county’s ambitions around agriculture, tourism and wildlife conversation but they also acknowledge urban development. There is a clear effort to protect agricultural land from excessive fragmentation and wildlife conservancies as well as ranches from encroachment.
Residential Zones
Though the experts recommend detailed urban plans to be developed for relevant locations, they propose residential areas to be zoned into three categories of housing density; high, medium and low. They further recommend subdivision limitation for each density.
The proposed minimum land size for low density zones is 1/2 (half) acre and a recommendation for 10% of the residential area to be covered in urban agriculture. Housing developments in medium density areas should sit on a minimum of a 1/4 (quarter) acre while high density developments should sit on a minimum of 1/8 (eighth) acre plots.
Housing developments in medium density zones should sit on a minimum 1/4 acre piece of land while high density developments can sit on 1/8 (eight acre) plots. Low density neighbourhoods which include upper Kibiko, Kerarapon, Lower Matasia and others should sit on 1/4 (quarter) acre plots.
Additional proposals recommend industrial developments to sit on 2.5 (two and a half) acre plots while commercial developments can be built on 1/8 (eighth) acre and 1/4 (quarter) acre land sizes depending on the scale of commercialization.
This categorization then leads to the question, which locations are marked as residential, commercial or industrial? The plan further provides a detailed table covering different zones, their permitted land use category and permitted land subdivision.
Prime Locations and Low-Density Zones
Prime commercial and residential locations like Kiserian Ong’ata Ronga, Embubul and Kerarapon Trading centres, parts of Ngong Road near Ngong town and parts of Namanga road (between Kiserian and Ong’ata Rongai) in Kajiado North Have a permitted land subdivision of 0.045 hectares which is equal to 0.111 acres, slightly smaller than an 1/8 (eighth) acre land size. These are mostly marked as either high density-residential, commercial or residential-single family dwelling.
Locations marked as Residential (low density) include, upper Kibiko, Kerarapon, Upper and Lower Matasia, Kahara, Nkoroi, Rimpa, Gataka and Kandisi. The permitted land subdivision in these low-density zones is 1/4 (quarter) acre.
Kitengela Isinya Subdivision Rules
Kitengela town and other locations within Kajiado East have a slightly more complex zoning style. For instance, locations within a 2km radius within Kitengela town are permitted a 0.045 ha (0.111 acres) subdivision. However, those within a 2 to 3 km radius are limited to 0.10 Ha. Developments within a 4 to 5 kilometre radius should sit on a minimum of 0.2 Ha while those within a 5 to 6 km radius should sit on 0.40 ha.
Developments in Isinya town have subdivision guidelines based on how far they are from the town just like Kitengela town. Properties within a 0.5 km radius should measure a minimum of 0.045 Ha but the plot sizes increase as you move farther from the town. The largest sizes are those within a 2-3 kilometre radius from Isinya town as they should be a minimum of 0.40 Ha.
Protecting Agricultural Land
As mentioned, one of the main goals of this spatial plan is to protect agricultural land and the subdivision guidelines make this very clear. Most of the agricultural land is situated within parts of Kajiado identified as rural. The biggest challenge in protecting agricultural land in any country is excessive land fragmentation. This is a scenario where agricultural land is subdivided excessively into small, fragmented pieces which are not economically viable.
Profitable agriculture relies heavily on economies of scale. According to Kajiado County’s proposed spatial plan, several locations within the county have been marked as strictly agricultural. These include areas in Namanga road (1 to 10 km from the road), Pipeline Road, parts of Emali-Loitoktok Road and other areas.
Agricultural land is divided into several categories which include small, medium and large scale as well as range land. The smallest land subdivision size for small scale agriculture proposed is 1 acre.
If you wish to purchase land or property in Kajiado County, it is highly advisable to download a copy of the spatial plan and look at the proposed subdivision and land use guidelines for the exact area you wish to purchase. Although some of the real estate companies with projects in Kajiado have termed the limitations on land sub-division as illegal, Kajiado County has repeatedly communicated its stand on excessive (and illegal) subdivision of land within the county several times in the past.
