Economy

Building experts say e-permits system slow

mugure

AAK President Mugure Njendu. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Kenya’s automated construction permit management system has been down from July in what the experts say could delay regulatory approvals by up to two years and significantly raise the cost of new buildings.

The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) and the Kenya Property Developers Association said the e-construction permit systems have not been working in counties, with an adverse effect on the building and construction sectors.

AAK President Mugure Njendu said the most affected counties are Nairobi, Nakuru and Mombasa. However, she said counties like Kisumu and Kiambu have experienced little disruptions. “Construction e-permitting system should not be held hostage to political activities in the various County governments. The systems should be run professionally and objectively with a plan for sustainability in the long run,” Mrs Njendu said.

She said issuance of building permits and approval of development is set to take between three months to two years for processing from the previous one week to 14 days in some counties.

The e-construction permit systems were developed in 2011 jointly by the county governments, the International Finance Corporation and the AAK to enhance efficiency and accountability in the processing of construction permits in the city.

Kenya became the first sub-Saharan African country to launch the automated construction permit management system, joining South Africa, in an attempt to cut down on time and costs for applicants and regulator.

Mrs Njendu wants Nairobi City and other county governments “to urgently reform and reorganise the manner in which construction permits are processed to ensure that we build an efficient and transparent construction permitting system.”

“Some of the challenges that our members face include delays in the processing of construction permits, human resource capacity, communication and lack of updated zoning guidelines,” she said.