Building a House in Kenya: Requirements

To build a house in Kenya, you need a lawful right to develop the land, a workable design, the appropriate professional team, county approvals, NCA project registration and any additional permissions that apply to your site. You also need a funded construction plan, a clear building contract, supervision and a route to inspection and occupation.

Those requirements do not all happen at once. Some must be resolved before design, others before construction, and others before moving in. A useful checklist therefore explains what you need, who handles it and when it matters.

This guide covers a private residential project. An apartment development, subdivision, commercial building or sensitive site can involve additional requirements. Treat county-specific documents and permit conditions as part of your project's own checklist, rather than assuming a neighbour's approval process will be identical.

The requirements at a glance

Use three labels when planning your project:

• Required: an approval, obligation or document required by the applicable authority or law.
• Conditional: something triggered by the site's location, proposed use, scale, services or approval conditions.
• Recommended preparation: work that helps you manage design, money and delivery, even where it is not a separate statutory approval.

A recommended planning document does not replace a required permit. Equally, holding a permit does not mean your budget, contractor or construction details are ready.

1. Define the house you want to build

Start with a written brief. It gives your architect something more useful than a collection of attractive photographs and helps the team test whether your priorities fit the site and budget.

Include the following:

• The plot location and any documents already available.
• Whether the house is for your own occupation, rental or another purpose.
• The rooms you need, who will use them and how that may change.
• Your preferred number of storeys, parking, outdoor space and level of finish.
• Accessibility needs, including provision for ageing family members.
• Water storage, power backup, solar, security and internet requirements.
• Your available funding, anticipated cash flow and desired completion date.
• Any future extension or additional floor you want the team to consider.

Separate essentials from preferences. A home office may be essential; a particular balcony shape may be negotiable. That distinction helps when the first design and cost review reveal trade-offs.

Agree who can approve decisions. If several family members are involved, nominate one person to consolidate instructions. Conflicting requests during construction can create expensive rework.

Keep: the agreed brief, budget assumptions and a record of design decisions. These are project-management documents, not building permits.

2. Verify the land and your right to develop it

A copy of a title document is a starting point, not the whole investigation. Have the ownership position, relevant restrictions and your authority to build checked before committing substantial money.

The State Department for Lands explains that an official search identifies the registered ownership and encumbrances such as charges, cautions or restrictions. Use the appropriate land-registry process for the parcel. Official land-search guidance.

Work with your advocate and surveyor to resolve questions such as:

• Does the land record match the seller or person authorising development?
• Do the parcel details match the physical land you have been shown?
• Are there charges, restrictions, disputes or consent requirements to address?
• Are the boundaries and beacons identifiable, and is there any encroachment?
• Is there lawful access to the plot, rather than only an informal route across another property?
• Do the tenure conditions and permitted land use support the proposed house?
• Are subdivision, lease conditions, estate covenants or other restrictions relevant?

If you are building on family land, leased land or land held by a company, establish who must authorise the development and what documentation the county will accept. Do not assume a verbal family agreement resolves ownership or planning requirements.

Land rates and land rent are different matters. Ask the relevant offices which apply to your parcel and what clearance or evidence of payment is needed for the application.

Keep: ownership or development-authority documents, search results, survey information, relevant consents and correspondence resolving restrictions. Store sensitive identity and ownership records securely.

3. Establish what the site can accommodate

Your plot area and your buildable area are not the same. Access, planning controls, drainage, ground conditions and services can affect where the house sits and how it is designed.

Arrange a site assessment early enough for the findings to influence the design. Discuss:

Ask the engineer what investigations are needed for your particular ground conditions and structure. Do not copy a neighbouring foundation because the plots look similar. Discuss testing before the design and price are fixed, and confirm any report required by the county or applicable standards.

The National Building Code addresses unstable ground, site preparation and foundation design. It should inform the professional design; an online guide cannot determine a safe foundation for a particular plot. National Building Code, 2024.

For a plot in Kamakis, Ruiru or elsewhere in Kiambu, establish the parcel-specific planning and infrastructure conditions. A location name alone is not enough to infer setbacks, soil conditions, sewer access or the permitted number of floors.

4. Appoint the team and define their responsibilities

A house involves different types of expertise. Establish who is responsible for each part of the work, and what their fee includes.

A title on a business card is not a substitute for verification. Check the relevant professional registration, current practice status and the identity of the person responsible for your work. Use the relevant regulator: BORAQS for architects and quantity surveyors, and the Engineers Board of Kenya for engineers. Contractor registration is a separate NCA matter.

Request written appointments. Specify deliverables, exclusions, review stages, site visits, instructions, payment terms and how additional work is agreed. A drawing fee should not be assumed to include continuous site supervision.

If you appoint an integrated design-and-build team, still ask who carries each professional responsibility and who will be available when a site decision is needed.

5. Prepare coordinated drawings and specifications

A render communicates appearance. It does not contain everything a contractor needs to price and construct the house.

Your project may need architectural drawings, structural details and calculations, building-services drawings, drainage information and supporting reports. The exact submission package depends on the proposal and the approving authority.

The team should coordinate those documents. For example, a planned pipe route needs to be checked against the structural arrangement; water tanks and roof equipment need their loads considered; and drainage levels need to work with the site.

Before requesting firm construction prices, clarify:

1. Which drawing revisions form the pricing package.
2. Whether finishes, fittings and equipment are sufficiently specified.
3. Which items remain allowances or provisional decisions.
4. What the contractor must design, supply or obtain approval for.
5. Which construction details will be issued later, and whether they affect price or programme.

Keep a drawing register showing the current revision. When a drawing changes, record which older version it replaces and who received the update. A printed sheet left on site can otherwise become the basis for work that no longer matches the design.

Our architectural design and MEP engineering pages explain the services available for these parts of the project.

6. Prepare a budget that reaches occupation

The cost of the main building is only one part of the money required. Prepare a budget around the complete project scope, with assumptions written down.

Allow for the relevant items below without assuming each contractor includes them:

• Surveys, investigations, design and professional services.
• Approval applications, statutory charges and required specialist reports.
• Site establishment, temporary services, security and access arrangements.
• Groundworks, structure, roofing, finishes and building services.
• Water storage, drainage and sewer or on-site sanitation works.
• Utility connections and equipment needed for occupation.
• Boundary works, gates, paving and other external works.
• Taxes, contractual insurance costs and financing expenses where applicable.
• Testing, commissioning, snagging and handover.
• A reasoned allowance for identified risks and unresolved scope.

A bill of quantities, or BOQ, helps describe and measure work so contractors can price a common scope. It is useful only to the extent that its drawings, specifications and assumptions match the intended project.

A total price without a clear scope makes comparisons difficult. If one quotation excludes a boundary wall and another includes it, the difference is not necessarily a saving.

Plan cash flow as well as the total. Consider when materials, deposits, valuations, professional fees and connections will need payment. Discuss contingency with the QS against the project's actual uncertainties rather than treating one percentage as correct for every house.

For drawing-based budgeting or a BOQ, request a paid costing service. The initial enquiry establishes the scope and fee proposal; it does not promise a free detailed estimate.

7. Obtain the relevant county approvals

Development permission is a county planning requirement. Section 57 of the Physical and Land Use Planning Act addresses the need for development permission before carrying out development. Establish the process for the county where the land is located. Physical and Land Use Planning Act.

Ask your architect or planner to confirm the current application requirements, including any land-use issue that needs resolving first. Depending on the application, supporting material may include ownership or consent documents, survey information, drawings, professional details and additional reports.

Use this sequence as an administrative checklist:

1. Confirm the land-use and planning position.
2. Obtain the county's current submission requirements.
3. Submit the appropriate drawings and supporting documents through the recognised process.
4. Address comments and retain the approved revisions.
5. Obtain the written permissions, conditions and relevant payment records.
6. Confirm commencement notices, inspections and any other conditions before starting.

A payment receipt or submission acknowledgement is not the same as an approval. Check the approved use, drawing revisions, validity and conditions before mobilisation.

Do not treat a neighbouring county's fee, an old finance schedule or a promised processing period as applicable to your project. Request a current official assessment and receipt. Private estate design consent, where relevant, does not replace government approvals.

If you later change the approved building, ask the design team whether revised permission is needed before the contractor carries out the change.

8. Determine environmental and site-specific permissions

Environmental requirements depend on the applicable classification and the proposed project's impacts. A private residence should not automatically be described as exempt, nor should every house be assigned the same full-study process.

The 2025 environmental assessment regulations distinguish summary reports for specified low-risk projects, comprehensive reports for medium-risk projects and assessment studies for high-risk projects, with further assessment possible following review. Have a registered environmental assessment expert confirm the route for the actual proposal and obtain the required NEMA decision before the affected work proceeds. 2025 environmental assessment regulations published by NEMA.

Other permissions may arise from the site or proposed installations. Ask the team to screen for water-resource or borehole issues, road access and reserves, aviation restrictions, utility wayleaves and specialist installations. That is a screening list, not a statement that every homeowner needs every agency's licence.

Keep a project-specific approvals register: authority, requirement, responsible person, submission status, written decision and conditions. Do not mark an approval complete solely because an application was submitted.

9. Appoint the contractor on a clear written scope

Before accepting a price, establish that the contractor is suitable for the work and that the quote describes the same house you intend to build.

Check relevant registration and current licensing, comparable work, references, available supervision, resources and the proposed programme. Ask who will be on site and which work will be subcontracted.

The written contract should address:

• The scope, drawings, specifications and agreed exclusions.
• The contract sum or pricing basis and treatment of allowances.
• Start arrangements, completion obligations and the programme.
• Payment applications, valuation, retention if agreed, and payment dates.
• Who may issue instructions and approve changes.
• How variations are priced and how time effects are assessed.
• Responsibility for materials, equipment, insurance and site arrangements.
• Quality requirements, defects correction, suspension and termination.
• How disputes will be handled.

Use a suitable construction contract with advice appropriate to the project. A payment schedule alone is not a complete contract.

Choose a reporting routine before work starts. A useful progress report connects work completed, inspections, payments, outstanding decisions and upcoming activities. Photographs help, but they do not replace measurements or professional inspections.

10. Register the project with NCA

Contractor registration and project registration are different. A contractor's registration does not automatically register your house project.

NCA's published guidance places project registration responsibility on the developer and states that the application should be made within 30 days of awarding the construction contract. It also states that project registration is currently free. That does not make county applications, consultant services or other project requirements free. NCA project-registration guidance.

The published application checklist includes registered and currently licensed contractors and consultants, approved drawings and county permissions, applicable additional approvals, a signed and stamped BOQ summary, the developer's KRA PIN, the construction agreement and supervision commitments.

Confirm the current portal requirements with your consultants, retain the submitted documents and registration record, and resolve any requests for clarification. The registration deadline is not permission to begin work without other necessary approvals.

11. Prepare the site, safety arrangements and insurance

Before mobilisation, walk the site with the contractor and supervising team. Confirm the building position and levels, access, storage, security, temporary services and how neighbouring property will be protected.

The site plan should address safe movement, excavations, work at height, temporary electrical supplies, lifting, public access, worker welfare, emergency arrangements, dust, noise and waste. Allocate responsibility for these matters rather than assuming individual workers will organise them.

DOSHS administers workplace registration, inspection and other occupational safety services. Confirm the construction-site registration and other applicable obligations with DOSHS and the appointed team. Worker-injury arrangements must also be addressed; the Labour department's guidance discusses employer responsibility and WIBA insurance. Occupational safety and health services.

Have the relevant employer, contractor and insurance adviser identify required cover and any additional cover appropriate to the contract. Check the insured parties, activities, period, limits and exclusions. A policy title alone does not establish what a loss would cover.

Before excavation: agree who checks setting out and who can authorise work to proceed. Never resolve uncertainty about boundaries or structural design by asking the contractor to “make it fit”.

12. Supervise construction and record changes

Agree the inspection and reporting plan before activities begin. Your consultants should identify the points at which work must be checked before it is covered or the next activity starts, alongside the county's inspection requirements.

Useful management records include current drawings, site instructions, inspection reports, material deliveries, test records where specified, progress photographs, valuations and a change register.

For every proposed change, answer four questions:

1. What is changing, and why?
2. Has the responsible designer checked it?
3. What is the cost and programme effect?
4. Does it require a revised approval or another formal decision?

Record the decision before the work proceeds. An informal request to move a wall can affect structure, services, finishes and the approved layout.

Payments should follow the agreed contract and valuation process. Check work and delivered items against that process rather than paying only because a calendar date has arrived. Keep the remaining cost to complete under review as well as expenditure to date.

A construction project manager can coordinate these records and decisions within the appointment, while the relevant designers retain their technical responsibilities.

13. Complete the house and prepare for occupation

Plan the closing requirements before the final weeks. Locate the approved drawings, inspection records and professional documentation while the team is still engaged.

Arrange the relevant tests and commissioning, inspect the work, prepare a snag list and agree how outstanding items will be resolved. Confirm the applicable county completion and occupation process before moving in. Nairobi's service charter, for example, lists occupation-certificate documentation; its list should not be assumed to be the submission list for every county. Nairobi City County service charter.

Your handover file should include the relevant approval and occupation records, final drawings showing recorded changes, test and commissioning records, equipment instructions, warranties, keys and a schedule of outstanding defects.

Ask the team to demonstrate important systems: water isolation, electrical isolation, pumps, storage, drainage maintenance and any backup installations. Know who to contact if a defect appears and what the contract says about notification and correction.

Practical completion under a building contract, regulatory permission to occupy and settlement of the final account are different matters. Confirm the status of each rather than treating one document as a substitute for all three.

A working document checklist

Use this as an organiser. The authority's current requirements and your appointments determine the precise documents for your project.

Common questions before building

Is a title deed enough to start building?

No. Ownership, permission to develop and readiness to construct are separate questions. Check the parcel's legal and planning position, obtain the applicable permissions and prepare the design and delivery arrangements before starting.

Do I need the same approvals for a bungalow and a maisonette?

Do not assume the submission packages are identical. Storeys, structural design, location, services and permit conditions can change the supporting information. Ask the design team to confirm the requirements for the actual proposal.

Can I build in phases?

Phasing can be planned, but each phase needs a workable design, funding and safe stopping point. Ask the team how unfinished areas, services, exposure, approvals and future occupation will be managed. Adding a floor later must be considered by the designer; it is not made safe simply by leaving reinforcement projecting from the building.

How much should I set aside for approvals?

Obtain a project-specific schedule from the team and current assessments from the relevant authorities. Separate official charges from professional fees and construction costs. This guide deliberately avoids a single nationwide fee or percentage that could mislead a homeowner.

How long do approvals take?

It depends on the application, authority, completeness and any queries or additional permissions. Build time for review and responses into the programme. Do not commit a contractor's mobilisation date on the assumption that submission guarantees approval by a particular day.

What should I bring to a first consultation?

Bring the plot location, the land information you can lawfully share, your intended house brief, budget range, timeline and any existing drawings or correspondence. State what is already approved and what is only proposed.

Plan the next step for your plot

Beaver Concepts brings design, construction, building services and project coordination together. We can discuss your brief, identify the services you need and propose the next steps for your project.

Request a project consultation. If you need a detailed estimate or BOQ from drawings, we will discuss the scope and fee first. Submitting plans with your enquiry is optional.

Cover photograph: Marina Zvada on Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License.