The Nairobi Underground Railway Phase I will require new laws, planning regulations, and policies to guide its implementation and development around railway stations.
According to the 30-kilometer Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System (NMRTS) plan presented to the Nairobi City County Executive Cabinet on July 21, 2026, five county bills have been identified to provide the legal and governance framework for the MRTS.
Under the framework, the Nairobi MRTS Authority Bill would establish the institutions and mandates required to oversee the system.
Other proposed laws would provide guidelines for financing, transport integration, and protection of the railway corridor.
Planning regulations would also cover MRTS corridor zoning, station area development, building height and density, parking management, and heritage and environmental protection.
Nairobi Underground Railway to Introduce New Legal Requirements
These regulations are intended to guide land use and development around the railway system while supporting sustainable urban growth.
A Land Value Capture (LVC) policy has also been identified as a requirement for financing the MRTS and related infrastructure.
The policy would define financing tools including betterment levies, impact fees, tax increment financing, air rights and development charges.
It would also establish mechanisms for revenue management, ring-fencing, stakeholder participation and benefit sharing.
The framework also proposes a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy to promote compact, mixed-use, transit-supportive communities around MRTS stations.
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The policy would provide for the integration of housing, jobs, retail, services and public spaces, while encouraging affordable housing and social inclusion.
It would also establish guidelines for station-area design, streetscapes and public spaces, alongside incentives and partnerships to support TOD projects.
The proposed legal and policy framework aims to create the institutions, financing mechanisms, and planning controls required for the Nairobi MRTS Phase I.
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Immediate Action for the Plan
Nairobi City County has identified several immediate decisions required to accelerate the implementation of the Nairobi MRTS Phase I.
The government is seeking Cabinet endorsement of Phase I and the wider MRTS programme, including approval of the preferred alignment and scope, financing and public-private partnership approach, enabling institutions and governance framework, as well as national and county resource commitments.
The government also plans to establish a multidisciplinary Project Steering Committee and technical working groups covering planning, engineering, finance, legal matters, environment, land, Transit-Oriented Development, Land Value Capture and communication.
The groups will coordinate implementation and deliver priority activities. On planning approvals, authorities are expected to align the project with the County Integrated Development Plan, Integrated Transport Plan and Spatial Plan.
They will also need to approve the corridor protection and zoning framework, land acquisition and safeguarding, the preliminary design and Environmental Impact Assessment scoping report, and the TOD framework and LVC strategy.
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