Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has dismissed proposals to move Kenya’s capital away from Nairobi, labeling the idea as a practical and legal impossibility.
Speaking before the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations on Monday, March 30, 2026, Mudavadi argued that any attempt to establish a new capital would collide with the country’s complex land tenure system. He explained that the unique legal framework governing land ownership in Kenya does not offer the same flexibility found in other nations that successfully executed such moves.
While acknowledging that countries like Nigeria and Tanzania successfully transitioned their seats of power from Lagos to Abuja and Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, Mudavadi clarified that Kenya faces a different set of hurdles. He noted that while those regional neighbors could navigate the administrative and territorial requirements for such a shift, Kenya’s current land laws and practical constraints make a similar relocation unfeasible.
“We cannot relocate the capital to another city. In Tanzania, they were able to do that with Dodoma and in Nigeria, they moved away from Lagos. Our land tenure system cannot provide a solution like the one in Tanzania and Nigeria,” Mudavadi told the senators.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary pointed to private land ownership as a primary barrier to any relocation plans. He explained that since citizens own the majority of urban land, the government would have to compromise or seize private property to establish a new administrative center. Beyond the legal hurdles, Mudavadi highlighted the staggering financial cost of such an undertaking. He specifically noted that the country has already sunk massive investments into fixed infrastructure, such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which connects directly to the current capital.
These remarks served as a direct response to the Senate committee’s inquiries regarding whether a new city could solve Nairobi’s chronic struggles with flooding and illegal construction on riparian land. While the committee suggested expansion or relocation as a potential fix for these urban crises, Mudavadi argued that the state must instead prioritize alternative interventions. He called for a focus on improving Nairobi’s existing infrastructure and urban management systems rather than attempting a costly and legally complex move.
“A lot of the land in urban areas belongs to Kenyan citizens. Even if you move beyond that, you would be looking at compromising people’s land to create a new city,” Mudavadi said.
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