The property owners have also been given a blanket approval to improve all their plot frontages with approved concrete blocks.
The Nairobi City County Government will take stern action against owners of properties within the CBD who will not have repainted their buildings 14 days from today.
City Hall has officially notified property owners to comply with the Public Health Act Cap 242 and County By-Laws that requires them to repaint their buildings every two years.
Acting County Secretary and Head of County Public Service Leboo Morintat, in a notice warned tough legal action against those who will not comply.
“To improve on the aesthetics and beauty of our city, it is hereby notified to all property owners in Nairobi City County Central Business District, that they should clean/repaint/redecorate their buildings as required by law,” part of the statement reads.
The property owners have also been given a blanket approval to improve all their plot frontages with approved concrete blocks.
This is the area between the plot boundary and the road pavement.
The notice has earmarked properties within Nairobi’s CBD.
“Upon the expiry from the date of this notice, necessary legal measures will be instituted to ensure the same,” the notice further reads.
The acting County Secretary has vowed to ensure that the repainting is done and to the required standards.
Leboo noted that Nairobi has been globally recognized as the most dynamic, innovative and resilient city and that its status must be protected.
According to Nairobi City County by laws, under General Nuisance Section, it’s an offence for building owners to fail to repair or maintain buildings to required standards
Housing and Lands executive Winnie Gathagu said as a commercial hub, Nairobi must be clean and orderly all times.
“That is why we will be very strict with,” she said.
Early this year, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko urged building owners in the CBD to beautify their properties to ensure the city maintains its status.
“We know Nairobi is the city of choice to invest, work and live in but we must do a lot to maintain that status in the region and even globally,” he said while inspecting the Nairobi County beautification exercise.
The capital city has attracted a big number of foreign investors due to its strategic location in Africa.
Sonko wants to leverage on this to make it more attractive for both investors and tourists.
His order to remove matatus from the CBD is part of efforts to achieve this.
Nairobi was last month crowned as Africa’s Leading Business Travel Destination at World Travel Awards 2019 Gala Dinner held in Mauritius.
The Kenyan capital beat seven other African cities including Accra (Ghana), Cairo (Egypt), Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria in South Africa and Nigeria’s Lagos to emerge winner.
Sonko said these standards must be maintained in order to attract more tourists and investors, which in turn will improve the capital’s economy and help raise the living standards of residents.
The governor said his vision of making Nairobi Africa’s city of choice cannot be undermined by property owners who ignore county by-laws.