In Summary

• The association has lamented over building approval delay.
• They blame County officials in the planning department over the same.

Architectural Association of Kenya is now raising concerns over building approval process in Nairobi citing delays and reversion to manual system.

Appearing before Nairobi County Assembly  Planning Committee Architectural Association of Kenya boss Florence Nyole says it takes 9-12 months to get approval.

They have also raised integrity issues with the county planning officers accusing them of doing orthodox approval.

“Initially the approval could take 60 days, for now it takes even 9months for a single approval the worst part of it you have paid for the approvals. The system is not working properly, during Covid in a month we could do several approvals through zoom and everything was okay. Since that system breakdown, we have been experiencing  massive delays, it forces some of our members to seek manual assistance in City Hall. Sometimes you pay the approval fees then the system do not show.” The association told the Palapala led committee.

Planning Committee Reaction

Majority leader Peter Imwatok on Hansard grilled the lobby officials representing association at the County approval Committee and in deed revealed the planning department has done nothing to ensure the automated system is fixed.

“They disabled it so that the likes of Ochanda can do the manual help which is at a cost. We are also aware that they are asking developers upto to 500000 shillings  to release the approvals. We have also been told that even if the approval Committee does what should be done the same county officers from planning still alter the same decision and can again  issue approvals against earlier   decision of the committee.” Imwatok said.

Another Meeting

Meanwhile the planning committee sent away County Planning officials for coming to the committee unprepared. The team described as “shame” to the county government was les by Mr. Mutegi, Frederick Ochanda and others.

“We called the entire approval committee including the chief officer but these officers shows up here even a single response,” the committee chair Alvin Palapala said.