New Buildings in Nairobi 2026: 27 Big Projects Filed With NEMA

Updated 10 November 2026

Developers filed 27 large new buildings in Nairobi with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) between August and early November 2026, according to notices in the Kenya Gazette. Fifteen rise 20 floors or more above the ground floor, four reach 30 or more, and together the notices that give a number list about 10,500 homes. Most are on the Westlands and Kilimani sides of the city.

Checked on 10 November 2026 against NEMA invitations for public comment in Kenya Gazette issues dated 7 August to 6 November 2026, read on Kenya Law’s Gazette archive. Every project below is in our Nairobi projects tracker, with a link to its notice.

The tallest new buildings in Nairobi

Savanna Pinnacle Estates has the tallest filing: two towers of ground plus 31 floors on Westlands Road, with 679 apartments, in Gazette Notice 16190 of 9 October 2026. Three projects reach 30 floors:

• Ivory Crown Residences, two 30-floor blocks with 748 apartments on Ring Road, Parklands (Notice 16442, 16 October). We covered it in our Ivory Crown story.
• Limerence Company, a 30-floor block with 469 homes on Ngong Road, Kilimani (Notice 13716, 21 August).
• Stellar Bay, 30 storeys and 697 units on Mpaka Road, Parklands (Notice 15939, 2 October).

Next come Beyond Imagination Construction’s 27-floor block with 396 units off Ring Road Kilimani in Woodley, Wondercrest Development’s two 26-floor towers with 699 homes on General Mathenge Drive, and Flourish Haven’s 25-floor project with 464 units on Ring Road Westlands, filed on 6 November.

Where the new buildings are going

Ten filings are in Westlands, Parklands, Mountain View, Riverside and Gigiri, with about 4,430 homes or hotel keys between them. Eight are in Kilimani, Kileleshwa and the Woodley side of Ring Road, with about 3,480. That leaves about 2,630 elsewhere in the city, led by Morning Light Apartment’s 956 homes on East Church Road and Nanchong Longines Bay’s 601 off Ngong Road.

These are the suburbs where land costs most. HassConsult’s Q3 2026 land index puts Westlands at an average of KSh 521.7 million an acre and Kilimani at KSh 451 million, so developers are building upwards to spread that cost. Our Nairobi property price index page has every suburb.

There are non-residential filings too. Metroarena Development Company has filed for a 10,000-seat indoor arena with a 140-key hotel and a 77-key serviced-apartment tower near the Railway Station, and Artesano Investment for an 11-floor, 152-key hotel in Gigiri. The State Department for Housing and Urban Development filed five notices for Kibra Lots 1 to 5 in Southlands, each for 14 blocks of ground plus eight floors of social and affordable homes.

What kind of homes the new buildings offer

Small units dominate. In the notices that break down their unit mix, we count about 1,165 studios and 3,790 one-bedroom flats, more than half of the homes listed. Wondercrest’s 699 homes, for example, are 231 studios, 141 one-bedroom and 327 two-bedroom units. Larger family homes are rarer and mostly in the lower-rise projects.

That mix fits a market where buyers borrow at high rates. On the Kenya Bankers Association’s cost-of-credit portal, average mortgage rates checked on 10 November 2026 ranged from about 9% at Co-operative Bank to above 20% at some smaller lenders. Compare every bank on our mortgage rates page, or work out a repayment with the mortgage calculator.

It also shapes rents. HassConsult reports that suburban apartment asking prices in Westlands fell 6.4% over the year to September 2026 and Parklands fell 3.7%, while houses in the same suburbs rose. More supply of small flats is one reason buyers there have room to negotiate.

What a NEMA notice means for new buildings in Nairobi

Under section 59 of the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act, NEMA publishes a notice when it receives an environmental and social impact assessment study for a large project, and invites the public to comment within 30 days. The notice shows that a developer has done a formal study. It is not a licence to build.

A project still needs an EIA licence from NEMA, planning and building approvals from Nairobi City County and registration with the National Construction Authority before work starts. Some filed projects will change size or never be built. We update our tracker when any of those official steps is published.

Before you buy off-plan in a new building

1. Ask for the exact company that owns the plot, then find its notice in the Gazette and compare floors and units with the brochure.
2. Run an official search on the plot number. Our Ardhisasa land search guide shows how.
3. Check the contractor with our NCA contractor check.
4. Pay deposits only into an advocate’s client account or an escrow account named in the agreement, and read our land fraud checks.
5. Budget for stamp duty of 4% in Nairobi with the land transfer cost calculator.

Developers can add or correct a project through our free developer directory. Every submission is checked against an official record before it appears.

Frequently asked questions

What are the tallest new buildings planned in Nairobi?

Among NEMA filings from August to November 2026, Savanna Pinnacle Estates’ two towers on Westlands Road have the most floors at ground plus 31. Ivory Crown Residences, Limerence and Stellar Bay each filed for 30 floors.

How many new apartments are planned in Nairobi?

The 27 Nairobi notices that state a number list about 10,500 homes or hotel keys. That excludes the State Department for Housing’s five Kibra lots in Southlands, each of which describes 1,386 units.

Has NEMA approved these new buildings?

No. The notices invite public comment on each developer’s study report. A NEMA licence, county approvals and NCA registration are separate steps.

How can I comment on a new building near my home?

Each notice says the full report can be inspected at NEMA’s offices on Popo Road, off Mombasa Road, and at the County Director of Environment. Oral or written comments go to NEMA’s Director-General within 30 days of the notice, and can be emailed to dgnema@nema.go.ke.