Urban sprawl and the automation of building control in the peripheries of Nairobi

The peripheries of Nairobi, especially Kajiado County, are experiencing rapid urbanization, leading to an urgent need for essential services and infrastructure. This surge, driven by an influx of middle-class residents and industrial developers, has prompted the county government to implement the Kajiado e-Development Management System (KeDAMS)–a web-based platform for automating construction permit applications. This paper, based on fourteen months of institutional observations and stakeholder interviews, critically examines the unfolding of automation in the physical planning sector of Kajiado. It explores the tensions between the government’s push for technological solutions and the deeply politicized nature of urban planning, where discretionary power remains prominent among state and non-state actors. In analyzing the possibilities and challenges associated with KeDAMS, the paper builds on wider debates on smart urbanism and the automation of urban procedures in global South contexts.