Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has ruled out relocating Nairobi, citing Kenya’s land tenure system and the high costs of land acquisition as major constraints.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations on Monday, he emphasized that Kenya must focus on improving infrastructure, affordable housing, and sanitation within the capital rather than attempting to create a new city.
“Here you are dealing with privately owned land… even if you moved beyond that, you would be looking at expropriating people’s land in order to convert and create a new city. I think that is not practical,” Mudavadi told senators, pointing out the challenges faced when the government acquired land for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and other projects.
He noted that unlike Tanzania and Nigeria, Kenya’s land system cannot accommodate the relocation of a capital city.
Mudavadi stressed that interventions in Nairobi should prioritize upgrading existing urban settlements such as Kibera.
He explained that affordable housing projects are already altering population density, improving roads, and expanding infrastructure.
“One of the things that will help us unlock Kibera is to make sure that there is modern sewage with proper capacity… Kibera can even hold more people if we did the necessary infrastructure to allow the whole aspect of sanitation to be managed better,” he said.
He also highlighted that the growth of Nairobi impacts neighboring counties, including Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado, requiring coordinated metropolitan interventions.
The PCS underscored the need for strong collaboration between the county government, ministries, and technical teams to manage the city’s expansion effectively.
Mudavadi reiterated that the framework for Nairobi’s development is governed by the Urban Areas and Cities Act, which provides a legal structure for investment and cooperation.
“Since this is the Urban Areas and Cities Act, a law of Parliament, if Parliament saw it fit to amend that, then we would go back… but our approach is not to relocate the city,” he said.
He also called for improved planning in public-private partnerships, compliance with the Public Finance Management Act, and proper budgeting by each ministry to ensure effective delivery of projects.
“Each ministry has got a budget line… this is about cooperation, oversight, and targeted investment in infrastructure and services,” Mudavadi said.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary emphasized that Nairobi’s special status as the nation’s capital requires careful, focused interventions rather than relocation, ensuring that the city continues to function as the political and economic hub of Kenya while addressing challenges such as housing, sanitation, and urban growth.
This approach, he said, reflects the government’s commitment to upgrading Nairobi comprehensively, without creating the complexities and costs associated with moving the capital.