Architects decry inordinate delays in the Nairobi City County Development approvals process

Nairobi

Thursday 27 July 2023

KNA by Ali Sheikh Mohamed

The Architects Alliance of Kenya has criticized the Nairobi County government for a delayed development approvals process that perilously impact the construction industry and society in general

The Architects Alliance Chair Senator Sylvia Kasanga said that the delay of the approval has led to a massive loss of revenue, jobs and investment opportunities effectively making the business operation in the county a nightmare.

Kasanga reiterated that inevitably, the delays have also impacted negatively on the delivery of the government- led Affordable Housing Program.

“The delays may have also encouraged some property developers to seek alternative and flawed ways of carrying out development outside the statutory realm, leading to unplanned and/or unregulated developments,” she added

According to the Chair, the construction sector in Kenya is a major economic growth stimulator both at the National and County levels, in addition to being a notable employer and revenue generator.

Citing the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Economic Survey (2023), she revealed that Construction and Real Estate combined accounted for over 250,000 formal jobs as of December 2022, representing eight percent of the total formal job statistics and about 10 percent of the country’s total production. 

Kasanga made these remarks while addressing the press at Rubycut Gardens in Nairobi where she disclosed that in collaboration with Counties and the Private Sector, the Government of Kenya aims to deliver 250,000 housing units annually.

“Timely delivery of sustainable and affordable housing units requires that each component and player in the various stages of construction functions efficiently,” remarked Kasanga, noting that the key role played by the Counties is regulating the development of the housing and construction sector in general through their respective departments of Planning and Development.

She further announced that the Nairobi County Government has a digital system for processing development plans, known as the Nairobi Planning and Development Management System (NPDMS) which after many years of a frustrating and opaque manual system, was instituted to make it easier for stakeholders to have development plans submitted and approved transparently which is unfortunately, experiencing substantive and unexplainable challenges in the recent months.

In his remarks, Joint Building & Construction Council Chairperson Mr. Muchiri Waititu said that Architects have initiated proportionate engagements with the relevant departments at the Nairobi City County offices toward resolving the matter. 

“During a recent engagement with the Governor of Nairobi and separately with the CECM Built Environment & Urban Planning and the NairobiPay teams, the prolonged downtime of the portal, processing of payments and complexities in resolving issues with the system were discussed,” revealed Waititu.

He pointed out that in the discussed issues, the county government agreed to expedite immediate payment confirmation and ameliorate the automated receiving of funds and consequent issuance of receipts.

The Chairperson, who is also a member of the Alliance, said that the county government will accelerate pending receipt of payments already made, some being over eight weeks in abeyance, and will also institute a transparent follow-up system on payments and approvals by proactively contacting submitting Architects to communicate the status of their submissions in the event of any hitches.

However, Waititu confirmed that despite all efforts at the resolution of the issues through engagement with the county officials, no progress has been made to make the system operable.

At the same time, Mr. Paul Ochieng, a member of the Alliance, requested the Governor of Nairobi to urgently resolve this matter and clear the growing backlog of pending approvals.

“While this will be appreciated as a temporary measure, we will seek further audience with his good office for the implementation of a more permanent solution, which will include but not limited to speeding up the process, making the system more user-friendly, targeted and inclusive, whilst ensuring that the National Building Code and Planning Act are adhered to,” he said.

Ochieng noted that the enhancements will assist the County to deliver on its obligations towards national housing goals while earning more revenue. He reiterated that the Alliance is not willing to go back to the unexplainable manual process that will affect transparency and accountability.

Courtesy ; K. N. A