Land Use & Planning
Land tenure, use, and planning counsel — from acquisition strategy to development consent.
Land, tenure, and permission — properly navigated.
Land in East Africa carries a distinctive regulatory geometry — tenure, community land, statutory conversions, environmental and planning consents. We advise investors and developers through it with clarity and discipline.
Our team acts on complex land assemblies, sensitive tenure conversions, and planning consent regimes across Nairobi and beyond.
- Tenure conversion & extension
- Community and sensitive land
- Environmental & NEMA approvals
- Planning consents & change of user
How we approach this practice.
We advise developers, investors, and contractors across commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects — covering land acquisition, zoning and planning approvals, construction financing, and REIT structuring.
We understand the cyclical nature of the property market and structure deals to withstand volatility, from dirt to development and through the full lifecycle of the asset.
Full land-use capability.
Freehold, leasehold, and community land — including conversion, extension, and consolidation.
Complex multi-title assemblies for development, including easement and access rights.
NEMA licensing, EIA/EA coordination, and environmental risk management.
County-level change of user, plot ratio, and development permission strategy.
Community land arrangements and stakeholder engagement on sensitive projects.
Diligence and risk analysis on sensitive tenure, historical grievance, and litigation risk.
A disciplined path from concept to close.
- 01Commercial Alignment
We start with the commercial map — economics, control, contributions, and outcome — before drafting a single clause.
- 02Structural Blueprint
A structuring memo sets out the vehicle, jurisdiction, tax treatment, and regulatory path, benchmarked against comparable matters.
- 03Documentation
Bespoke documentation drafted as an integrated instrument set — designed to survive later scrutiny.
- 04Approvals & Closing
Regulator engagement, condition-precedent management, and a disciplined closing choreography.
- 05Stewardship
Ongoing counsel through the life of the matter — governance, calendaring, and dispute-prevention.
Selected land use mandates.
A partial view of the mandates we have advised on — sanitised for confidentiality, but indicative of the scale and complexity of our work.
- 01
Advised on the tenure conversion and consolidation of a strategic development site in Nairobi.
- 02
Counsel to a developer on planning strategy for a mixed-use scheme requiring change of user.
- 03
Represented a sponsor on the acquisition and NEMA approval pathway for a renewable energy site.
- 04
Acted on a sensitive community land arrangement for a regional infrastructure project.
Partners leading the practice.
Where this work connects.
Considering a matter? Speak with the partner who will run it.
A confidential, no-obligation conversation with a partner — usually within one business day.