Institutional Fragmentation in Governing Shared Infrastructure of High-Rise Gated Communities:

Evidence from Two Nairobi Wards

Abstract

In Nairobi's high-rise gated communities, responsibility for shared infrastructure passes from public authorities to developers and private estate bodies, yet the institutions governing this transfer are little studied. This exploratory case study of eight communities in Kileleshwa and Parklands wards examines how public regulation and private estate governance shape these systems. It draws on interviews with a physical planner, three architects, two contractors and an environmental regulator; questionnaires from five of eight developers and five of eight estate managers; and documentary review. Planning, building, construction and environmental laws are extensive but unevenly implemented: mandates for drainage, water and sewerage are dispersed, the regulator estimated environmental compliance at about 60 per cent, and few completed estates were reportedly audited. All five developers cited inadequate policy guidance. Estate managers reported board-based decisions, limited resident participation and inconsistent use of sectional property law. Given the small samples and two-ward coverage, these findings are indicative.