Updated 12 November 2026
The official way to check a registered physical planner in Kenya is to search the Physical Planners Registration Board (PPRB) list, not a company stamp or a name on a change-of-use file. The Board, on pprb.or.ke, is a state corporation under the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, established under section 3 of the Physical Planners Registration Act, No. 3 of 1996 (Cap 536). On its downloads page it publishes a PDF titled Registered Physical Planners 2026. The file is the Kenya Gazette notice of 19 March 2026 (Gazette Notice No. 4165), signed by the Registrar, Plan. Emily G. Nyongesa, and dated 25 February 2026.
Pursuant to section 8(3) of Cap 536, the Registrar notifies the public that the people named in that notice appear in the Register and are validly licensed in their respective categories to practise for the year 2026. A footnote to the same notice says that names marked with an asterisk are registered physical planners with valid practising certificates for 2026 and are allowed to carry out business as practising physical planners. Search the official PDF, match the registration number, and look for that asterisk before you treat someone as able to run a planning practice.
On this page
In this guide
What the 2026 gazette list is
The Board’s mandate, in the words of its home page, includes registering all eligible persons to practise as physical planners under the 1996 Act, setting examinations for registration, and enquiring into professional misconduct. The public list it currently posts for 2026 is not a marketing directory. It is a gazette notification by the Registrar under section 8(3).
The columns in the notice are a registration number, the practitioner’s name, a postal address, a qualification and a business name. Many later rows show a dash in the business-name column. Registration numbers on the file we checked run from 0002 to 0431, with gaps: not every number in that range appears. On a count of the official PDF, checked on 12 November 2026, there are 349 unique registration numbers. This guide does not paste the names.
That 2026 list is the edition to search today. A later gazette notice, or a replacement PDF on the Board’s downloads page, would supersede it. Do not rely on a photocopy of an earlier year’s list, or on a secondary website that republishes the names.
How to search for a registered physical planner in Kenya
Download the official list of a registered physical planner in Kenya — the “Registered Physical Planners 2026” PDF — from pprb.or.ke/downloads, rather than a forwarded copy. Open it in a reader and use search (Ctrl+F or Command+F) for the exact name on the plans, the engagement letter or the fee proposal, and for the registration number if you have been given one.
Match the spelling of the name, the registration number and the business name, if one is shown, to the documents in your file. A similar surname is not enough. Because some names in the gazette run over two lines, a failed first search should be followed by a search on the registration number or on a distinctive part of the name, then a check with the Board if you still cannot find the person.
PPRB is not the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, and it is not the National Construction Authority. A firm that is off (or on) a procurement debarment list, or a contractor checked on the NCA register, has not thereby been checked as a registered physical planner in Kenya.
What the asterisk means, and what the law forbids
The gazette notice uses an asterisk. The footnote, printed at the end of the list, states: “Registered Physical Planners with valid Practicing Certificates for 2026 and are allowed to carry out business as Practicing Physical Planners.” On the official PDF we checked, 152 of the 349 unique registration numbers are marked with that asterisk. If you are hiring someone to carry on a planning practice — to take a paid brief, sign planning work or be the professional on a change-of-use or subdivision file — look for the asterisk against that person’s name, not only for a row in the list.
The opening paragraph of the same notice says that the people listed appear in the Register and are validly licensed in their respective categories to practise for the year 2026. The notice does not spell out those category names in a legend beyond the asterisk footnote. Do not invent a category for a name that has no asterisk. If the person is on the list but has no asterisk, and they are being presented as the practising planner for your project, ask the Board to confirm their current practising-certificate status before you pay.
Section 21(2) of the Physical Planners Registration Act, Cap 536, as quoted in the same gazette notice, makes it an offence for any unregistered individual, partnership or body corporate to practise as a physical planner. A person who does so, the notice says, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding twenty thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months, or both. That is the official warning attached to the 2026 list. It is not a finding about any named person, and it is not a substitute for a land search or the other checks in our land-fraud checklist.
How to verify a certificate on the PPRB portal
If you have been shown a PPRB certificate, the Board also runs a certificate verification page. It says you can verify the authenticity of certificates issued by PPRB, including both legacy certificates and new QR-enabled certificates, by entering the certificate number or serial. The page’s example format is REG/2026/0002. The official steps are: locate the certificate number on the document, enter the complete number, and click “Verify Certificate”.
Use the Board’s own portal, not a screenshot of a certificate sent by WhatsApp as the only proof. If the portal does not return a match, or the name or year does not match the document you were shown, take the number to the Board. The verification page is a check on a certificate you already have. It does not replace a search of the gazette list for a registered physical planner in Kenya you have not yet confirmed.
Who to contact at the Board
The official contact page, checked on 12 November 2026, gives the address as P.O. Box 45025-00100, 1st Ngong Avenue, Ardhi House, 5th Floor, Room 503, Nairobi; telephone +254 (0)20 2718050; mobile +254 726 907181; and info@pprb.or.ke. Published hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with Sunday closed. Write with the person’s name, the registration number if you have one, the certificate number if you were shown one, and a copy of the document on which they appear.
A written confirmation from the Registrar is the record to keep if the PDF row or the portal result is unclear. The gazette list and the asterisk answer a narrow official question: is this person on the 2026 register, and do they hold a valid 2026 practising certificate allowing them to carry on business as a practising physical planner? They do not approve a particular plan, a county permission or a land transaction.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the official 2026 list?
On pprb.or.ke, under Downloads, as “Registered Physical Planners 2026”, the official public list of a registered physical planner in Kenya. The file is Gazette Notice No. 4165 of 19 March 2026, signed by the Registrar on 25 February 2026. Search that PDF rather than an older list.
Is being on the list enough to run a planning practice?
The notice says everyone listed appears in the Register and is validly licensed in their category for 2026. The asterisk footnote is narrower: only those marked with an asterisk have valid practising certificates for 2026 and are allowed to carry out business as practising physical planners. If there is no asterisk, confirm the practising-certificate status with the Board.
How do I check a certificate I have been shown?
Enter the complete certificate number or serial on the Board’s certificate-verification page, which supports legacy certificates and new QR-enabled certificates. If it does not match, contact PPRB before treating the holder as a registered physical planner in Kenya.
What if the person is not on the 2026 list?
Try spelling variants and the registration number, then ask the Board at the contacts above. Section 21(2) of Cap 536, as quoted in the gazette notice, makes it an offence for an unregistered individual, partnership or body corporate to practise as a physical planner.
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