1,168 New Apartments Planned for Nairobi’s Westlands and Kilimani as NEMA Opens Public Review

Nairobi’s skyline is set to keep rising. Kenya’s environmental regulator has opened a 30-day public comment window on two high-rise applications that would add 1,168 apartments to the city’s Westlands and Kilimani neighbourhoods, according to Kenya Gazette notices reported by The Kenya Times on 23 August. The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has received Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) reports for both projects and will take public submissions before deciding on their environmental licences.

The filings are the latest in a steady flow of tower applications through 2026 and point to sustained developer confidence in Nairobi’s prime western corridor, where rents hit record levels this year even as apartment prices reset. They also arrive just weeks after Nairobi County gazetted its Development Control Policy 2026, giving developers and buyers a clearer, more predictable planning framework than the city has had in years.

Two towers, two different products

Westlands. Wondercrest Development Limited proposes two 26-storey residential blocks on L.R. No. Nairobi/Block 7/26 along General Mathenge Drive, one of Westlands’ most established residential addresses, with two basement levels and a ground floor beneath. The 699-unit mix is compact and rental-oriented: 231 studios, 141 one-bedrooms and 327 two-bedrooms. Amenities listed in the ESIA include parking, a swimming pool and a children’s play area, with rainwater harvesting and solar generation among the sustainability measures proposed.

Kilimani. Limerence Company Limited proposes a single 30-storey residential and commercial complex on Nairobi/Block 19/478 and 19/479 along Ngong Road, again over two basements and a ground floor. Its 469 units span a wider range: 261 one-bedrooms, 99 two-bedrooms, 93 three-bedrooms and 16 five-bedroom apartments. Ground-floor commercial space is planned for a minimart, restaurant and shop, with a pool, gym and library for residents.

Both ESIA reports address the usual impact categories for a project of this scale — traffic, noise, dust, water and power demand, waste and storm-water drainage — and set out mitigation including drainage structures, landscaping, licensed waste handlers and traffic marshals during construction. Pricing, sales launches and construction timelines have not yet been announced; more detail is likely to follow as the approvals progress.

Snapshot

A busy year for Nairobi’s tower pipeline

The two applications add to an active 2026. In May, NEMA advertised a 24-storey, 448-unit block on Gatundu Road in Kileleshwa and a 23-storey mixed-use scheme in Kilimani. In July, a further Gazette notice covered a 26-storey Crownstone Real Estate tower off Marcus Garvey Road in Kilimani, alongside projects in Riverside and Kikuyu totalling more than 1,000 units. By our count, at least 2,600 apartments in and around Nairobi’s western suburbs have entered NEMA review since May — a conservative tally that speaks to how much capital is still being committed to the corridor.

Developers are also working within a clearer set of rules than a year ago. In September 2025 the Court of Appeal ruled in the Rhapta Road zoning case that Nairobi’s vertical growth could proceed under a lawful, transparent framework, confirmed that the Rhapta Road area sits in a zone permitting up to 20 floors, and directed the county to finalise and publish an enforceable development-control policy, as Citizen Digital and law firm Bowmans summarised. Governor Johnson Sakaja gazetted the resulting Development Control Policy 2026 on 17 July, setting out defined height limits, density controls and a requirement that new buildings align with available water, sewer and road capacity.

One question remains open: a separate zoning dispute over a 16-storey scheme on Mbaazi Avenue is before the Supreme Court, with judgment reserved, according to the Daily Nation. Its outcome will help settle how earlier approvals are treated, but the new gazetted policy now gives fresh applications like these two a firmer footing than projects approved during the years of policy uncertainty.

The market these towers would enter

Nairobi’s residential market is resetting rather than retreating. HassConsult’s Q1 2026 index recorded annual apartment price declines in 10 of the 18 areas it tracks, led by Westlands (−7.9%), Upper Hill (−6.8%) and Lavington (−6.4%), as several years of high-density construction caught up with demand, Business Daily reported. Standalone houses in Karen and Lavington rose 13.2% and 12.7% over the same period on the back of scarcity.

The rental side tells a stronger story. Average suburban rents crossed KSh 200,000 a month for the first time in Q1 2026, and brokerage commentary points to gross yields of roughly 6–9% for unfurnished Westlands apartments, higher for furnished and serviced units. A July 2026 market report from Avenue Property Centre notes that while vacancy has risen in the luxury segment, well-managed buildings with gyms, pools and backup utilities are holding occupancy above 90%, and highlights the Westlands Ring Road junction upgrade and continued expansion of the Nairobi Expressway as supports for long-term values. Wondercrest’s studio- and one-bedroom-heavy mix looks designed for exactly that rental and short-let demand, while Limerence’s larger units target Kilimani’s family and expatriate market.

What the 30-day window means

Under section 59 of the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act (Cap. 387), NEMA publishes ESIA study reports for major projects and takes public comments before issuing an environmental licence. The reports are available at NEMA’s headquarters, the county environment office and on the authority’s website. Once licensed, a project also requires county development approval under the new policy before construction can begin. For buyers, the review is a useful window: the ESIA documents set out exactly what is proposed, and the approvals that follow are the paperwork to look for before any purchase.

What this means for African property investors

Due diligence. As with any off-plan purchase in Nairobi, buyers should confirm the NEMA EIA licence, county development approval and title, review the developer’s registry record and delivery history, and favour staged or escrow-based payment structures. Any developer yield or return projection should be treated as a developer estimate — not guaranteed.

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