Physical Planning in its broadest sense refers to a set of actions aimed at improving the Physical, Social and Economic welfare of a place and its dwellers.

Mandate

The mandate of the physical planning is:

• To promote orderly and sustainable urban development in the city.
• Plan and design the City physical infrastructure including the re-zoning, land sub-division and determination of the areas for development
• Delineate the areas for social infrastructure e.g. schools, health centre, free space, etc.

Vision

To attain orderly, progressive, sustainable urban and rural development as a framework for industrialization; provision of social and physical infrastructure, agriculture modernization and poverty eradication.

Mission 

To ensure adequately planned land utilization, by adhering to policy framework, provide technical guidance, monitor and supervise plan formulation and implementation

Strategic Direction

Our City is aware that unplanned rapid city growth will cause structural and socio economic challenges including but not limited to; low level of physical planning, lack of an integrated transport system, challenges related to environmental management, development of slums and unplanned settlements, urban poverty exacerbated by high level of unemployment, poor infrastructure for markets, water, housing and health services systems, and severe challenges of crime, crowding, congestion and pollution among others.  Our city has embarked on development of a comprehensive physical plan covering all the newly annexed areas. 

Establishment of Physical Planning Committee

Section 12 of the Physical planning (Amendment) Act 2020 states that “each urban authority or city shall establish a city physical planning committee which shall consist of”:

• The City clerk who shall be the chairperson
• Urban Physical planner who shall be the secretary
• City Land Surveyor
• City Engineer
• City Environment Officer
• an Architect 
• The officer responsible for public health 

Core Functions of Urban Physical Planning Committee

The Core Functions include the following:

• To cause to be prepared urban and local physical development plans and detailed plans;
• To recommend development applications to the Board for change of land use;
• To recommend to urban council, subdivision of land which may have significant impact on contiguous land or be in breach of any condition registered against title deed in respect of such land;
• To determine development applications relating to industrial location, dumping sites, or sewerage treatment which may have injurious impact on the environment as well as applications of land adjoining or within a reasonable vicinity of safeguarding areas; and
• To hear and determine appeal made against the decision of the urban physical planner or subordinate urban authority.