Kisumu City has banned the construction of buildings over 18 storeys as part of a four-zone blueprint to create a lakeside city over the next 20 years.
In announcing the decision, Governor Anyang Nyong'o issued a warning against high-rise buildings, saying they pose challenges in evacuating people during emergencies.
Professor Nyong'o said at a press conference in Kisumu: “We have received so many requests from private sector real estate developers to allow us to build such high-rise buildings in the city, but we have not said no. “I'm saying that,” he said.
The governor stressed that banning the construction of high-rise buildings will maintain the structural integrity of Kisumu and its surrounding areas as the city expands outward.
“When disasters such as fires and storms occur, it becomes difficult to evacuate people from high-rise buildings, which can result in casualties,” it added.
To meet the growing demand for space, the governor announced a Geographic Information System (GIS) for land use and development in Kisumu's new urban renewal program, which will be implemented until 2040.
“We have devised a GIS special plan to redesign the city by focusing on four concentric zones: the city center, urban renewal, eastern and northern extensions,” Professor Nyong'o said.
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The blueprint, due to be released next week, includes designated shopping centres, commercial centres, industrial estates, residential estates, hotels and clubs.
The plan would allow the city to create more sidewalks for pedestrians, motorcyclists and motorists. This is aimed at easing traffic congestion in the city centre.
76th floor
But Kisumu's decision stands in contrast to Nairobi's proposal to allow buildings of up to 76 storeys in the city center and 25 storeys and above in housing estates.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja revealed the decision last month while defending the government's approval for the construction of high-rise buildings in Kileleshwa and Lavington.
Suburban residents have criticized Mr. Sakaja for failing to enforce existing urban planning laws in the area. But the governor insists high-rise buildings are needed to accommodate Nairobi's rapidly growing population.
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Previously, apartment buildings were limited to four stories, but the restrictions have been gradually revised to allow them to build up to 12 stories in some areas.
In 2012, Nairobi City Council revised its building bylaws to allow developers to build office buildings in upscale residential areas in the city's west.
The changes were made under a new land use policy and aimed to encourage people to work closer to home to reduce congestion in the city centre.
invasion of privacy
However, the city's rezoning has angered residents of upscale neighborhoods who continually complain that high-rise housing severely oppresses and violates the privacy of low-rise residents, which is “totally unacceptable.” It is something that cannot be done.
The Kileleshwa homeowner, who was only identified as Flora, said the estate is now a vestige of its former self. This, she argues, is due to the increasing number of apartment buildings towering over the beautiful homes that have been dotted around the site over the years.
“The houses in Kileleshwa were cool and uncrowded. But now even the people living in these apartments can hardly be trusted to be proper residents,” she says.
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