Inside Kenya's push for clear green building guidelines

As climate change reshapes global priorities, the term ‘green buildings’ is gaining momentum in Kenya’s real estate circles.

And no — it’s not a reference to Nairobi’s iconic Afya Centre, a 21-storey landmark building that welcomes new entrants into Nairobi City from the village. While a building can be painted green and still be considered green in principle, the real meaning goes far beyond the colour of its walls.

The real challenge, however, remains: what exactly qualifies as a green building?
What elements determine its ‘greenness’ — now that we know it’s not about the paint job? 

It is this reason why the government, through the State Department for Public Works, is drafting what would be known as the green building standards to guide the industry. These standards are being informed by the National Building Code that took effect on March 2025, which has a provision for sustainable construction.

David Waititu, Chief Architect at the State Department for Public Works, says the standards will cover every aspect of green building.

“We need to be guided so that when we say that we are doing a green building, or certifying one, we know what parameters we are talking about,” he says.

From the just concluded Kenya Green Building Society conference held in Nairobi, the idea of what a green building is seems to go beyond just having a solar panel rested on your roof or by intention or negligence leaving moss to terrorise your walls.

Inclusive development

It starts with green financing, to building technology that is friendly, sustainable building materials, the design of the house – how air flows in and out and such, access to the building, water usage, waste management, energy efficiency and its impact to the community.

In fact, according to Millicent Okello, a Gender Responsive Procurement expert at the United Nations Women (UNW) argues that a green building should also involve women’s input.

“A skyscraper may be energy efficient but if its construction excludes half the population (women) from economic participation, it falls short of its transformation intention,” she said at the conference.

She insisted that green buildings and climate smart infrastructure must be inclusive to be sustainable.

Kenya is said to have more than one million square metres of Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE)- certified green floor spaces. EDGE is a software solution used across 100 markets to certify green buildings or spaces. It is a World Bank initiative through its subsidiary, the International Finance Corporation (IFC). 

EDGE certification involves how the buildings consume energy and its water efficiency.

Evans Kamau, IFC Country Officer, said the one million square feet of certified green building spaces is a tenfold growth when compared to 2020.

“Green buildings are not just good for the planet, but also for business. IFC research shows that they can sell up to 31 per cent more, keep occupancy rate at 23 per cent higher and cut energy costs by up to 37 per cent,” he said.

Kamau said when it comes to green building discourse, the key message is sustainability pays.

“Through green financing partnerships, we are helping banks and developers bring sustainable housing to more Kenyans including self-build homes financed by Saccos,” he said.

Anastacia Kimutai, KCB Bank Kenya Managing Director mentioned that those green certified buildings in the country offset 23,300 tons of carbon dioxide.

She said there is interest from the high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) as 60 per cent of them are insisting on solar installation in the units they seek to own.

Financial gaps

However, there is a challenge on financing to meet such demand.

“Kenya faces a financial gap of about Sh180 billion under the new regulations and roadmap aimed at decarbonising buildings by 2030,” she said.

Access to finance is a bigger challenge for small developers, whom she said, also struggle with the cost of importation of sustainable building materials, green building design practices that are less available locally, and energy audits.

“The rise of EDGE certified buildings, including the rising demand for features such as solar, water harvesting, and energy efficiency among HNWI, shows that the market is moving but the gap is in financing,” she said.

Nasra Nanda, Chief Executive Kenya Green Building Society, noted that Kenya has updated the building code which has positioned the built environment as a cardinal player. She pointed out that Nairobi City County Governor’s office became the first government office to be certified as green on the continent.

This is an initiative of the society with the certification having issued by IFC.

“We (KGBS) are market facilitators. We see the built environment as a platform and an ecosystem. For community, it is about dignity, for business is about posterity and for government is about legacy,” she said.

Nanda explained that when it comes to green building, it goes beyond the structure.

“The buildings we design, the materials we choose and the policies we implement, are not only about the environment but also about shaping the kind of inclusive, resilient and climate smart society we want to leave with the future generation,” she said.

She added that one way of encouraging developers to come up with green buildings is to have banks develop products to fit this emerging market need.

“With KGBS member, Absa Bank, we have created Kenya’s first home eco-loan,” she said. This loan allows individuals to acquire water and energy efficient equipment such as solar panels.

To ensure the market does not stay confused on what exactly is a green building, Waititu projects that the green building standards will be ready within a year.

They will cover aspects such as materials used, light fittings, how open spaces are designed – units should be dependent on sunlight during the day, accessibility, ventilation among others.

“We have a few areas we need consultation, but within the next one year, we should be having them developed so that we can now engage and see how they can be implemented,” he said.