The open space math (verified): Nairobi’s 1948 Master Plan set aside 24.96 km² for public open space — 27.5% of the city’s 90.64 km² land area — designed to serve 250,000 residents. That allocation has not grown since. Nairobi’s population has passed 3 million-plus in the same footprint. Per-capita public open space has fallen by …
Nairobi Is Densifying Fast. Our Children’s Bones Are the Receipt. Read More »
By Aron Kecha, Environmental Governance Expert For eleven years, the dredges and wet concentrator plant at Kwale hummed through some of the richest mineral sands deposits in the world. When Base Titanium formally closed its Kenyan operation in December 2024, it left behind a decade-long balance sheet that deserves far more public scrutiny than it …
Kenya’s Mining Act (2016) was a genuine turning point for artisanal and small-scale mining, by formally acknowledging that millions of Kenyans had been mining lawfully in practice but illegally on paper. The Act introduced Artisanal Mining Permits, and made cooperative registration a viable pathway to formal status. The architecture of the law is sound, but …
Kenya’s Mining Act 2016: Good Law, Slow Implementation Read More »
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) due diligence has moved from a niche compliance exercise to a standard expectation of institutional investors, development finance institutions, and increasingly, commercial lenders operating across Africa. What it actually covers Unlike a narrow environmental audit, ESG due diligence looks across three interconnected dimensions: Environmental: pollution risk, resource use, biodiversity impact, …
What Is ESG Due Diligence, and Why Does It Matter for Investors in Africa? Read More »
For any development project in Kenya likely to have a significant effect on the environment, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a legal requirement, not a formality. The process is governed by the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA), 1999, and administered by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). When is an EIA required? NEMA …
Understanding Kenya’s Environmental Impact Assessment Process Read More »
