Sakaja Directs All Buildings In CBD To Be Repainted In 90 Days

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has announced a bold initiative aimed at revamping the city’s appearance by ordering all building owners within the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) to repaint their properties within the next 90 days.

The directive, announced on Sunday, January 19, is part of a broader effort to restore the city’s aesthetic and environmental standards.

Governor Sakaja’s announcement emphasized that while all buildings in the CBD must be repainted within the given timeframe, he did not specify whether a uniform colour scheme would be required.

He added that a detailed circular would be issued soon to provide further instructions.

“To everyone who owns a building in Nairobi CBD, we are issuing a circular tomorrow that directs all buildings to be repainted within 90 days.

 In 90 days, we must have a fresh coat of paint, while the rest of us will focus on restoring roads within Nairobi,” the governor stated.

This move echoes a similar initiative in Mombasa in 2018, when the county government required landlords to repaint their properties in a uniform orange colour with blue trim.

That campaign, which was part of an effort to beautify the city and boost its tourism industry, included penalties for non-compliance but exempted historic buildings like Fort Jesus and the Mombasa Law Courts.

The Nairobi repainting directive comes on the heels of an inspection by the Nairobi County Chief Environment Officer, Geofrey Mosiria, who pointed out the city’s deteriorating environmental and public health conditions.

His findings revealed that many buildings lacked proper waste disposal systems, contributing to sanitation issues.

As a result, all landlords and businesses in Nairobi are now required to comply with solid waste management regulations.

At the same time, the county boss lauded Nairobi residents for supporting the cleaning services around the CBD.

Sakaja stated that residents can now move freely after hawkers were instructed to operate from the backstreets and low-hanging signages were removed.

“I want to thank Nairobi residents for supporting the cleaning services we began this year. Residents are walking well around CBD. For the hawkers, we said they should operate from the backstreets and we have all removed the low-hanging signages so that Nairobi residents move freely,” Sakaja stated.

In addition to the repainting mandate, the county government has also issued a notice to matatu owners due to disruptions caused by their activities during the city’s cleaning operations.

Mosiria noted that matatu stages often remain occupied at night, hindering cleaning efforts, and pointed out that poorly maintained vehicles are contributing to the city’s environmental degradation.

Meanwhile, the governor declared that his administration was working on repairing roads around the city, some of which have been in poor condition.

He expressed gratitude to President William Ruto for his support in the initiative and noted that road repair works had already commenced on some roads.

“We are repairing the roads. I have received the funds and I want to thank the president. The road works have begun at Jogoo Road and are ongoing at Landies Road,” Sakaja said.