Nairobi County Employees Accused of Sabotaging Building Approvals for Bribes
The Nairobi City County government is currently facing scrutiny after it was revealed that certain employees have been disregarding construction regulations to approve building plans, even when developers have not met the requirements.
At a recent hearing held by the Nairobi City County Assembly Planning Committee, which specifically addresses unauthorized construction in the city, it was discovered that county employees intentionally tamper with the automated building approval system. As a result, this spurs developers to personally seek and offer bribes to the staff members in the urban planning office to ensure construction approval. During the committee meeting, the Architecture Association of Kenya (AAK), spearheaded by its president Florence Nyole, made these revelations known.
Ms. Nyole reports that interference is creating major hold-ups in the approval process. Already projecting a development decision timeframe of sixty days, developers are now waiting up to nine or even twelve months. To top it off, those in need of expedited approval must pay an undisclosed fee to guarantee preference. Frustrations rise even further as the county delegates require land use change requests specifically to certain developers while absolving others of such procedures.
The issue of non-compliant buildings has sparked worry among city residents. Ms Brenda Nyawara, a committee member of the AAK, has highlighted the tendency of county officials to grant approvals for these structures, even after they have been rejected by the committee. Additionally, the county has faced allegations of hastily altering land use without providing residents with sufficient opportunity to voice their concerns. Area residents have observed that by the time they receive notifications about land use changes in their area, the approvals have already been authorized.
Residents only have two weeks to voice their disagreement with the proposed changes, which is not enough time as decisions are made before the protest letters even arrive. One citizen is apprehensive about the revelations' safety consequences, especially as the El Nino rains are currently affecting the nation. Acting County Secretary Patrick Analo who doubles as the Built Environment Chief Officer, has invited individuals with information regarding illegal buildings to come forward so that the county can take action against these developers.