City Hall officials exposed for approving illegal buildings

By  Kevin Cheruiyot

Correspondent

What you need to know:

• Nairobi county government faulted for ignoring repeated complaints from key stakeholders about approval of building plans.
• Professional bodies also questioned the composition of the Urban Planning Technical Committee, established by Governor Sakaja.

Professional bodies in Nairobi’s construction sector have accused powerful individuals in Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration of interfering with the building approval process, warning that the practice is exposing residents to the risk of building collapses.

Appearing before the County Assembly’s Sectoral Committee on Urban Planning and Housing, representatives of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya and the Architectural Association of Kenya said the county government had sidelined them and ignored their repeated complaints about the approval of building plans.

They alleged that individuals who do not hold positions within the Urban Planning and Housing sector were influencing decisions on which building plans should be prioritised for approval.

Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) Vice-President Brenda Nyawara said that although the county had an online system for processing building approvals, officials were deliberately interfering with the platform to facilitate manual processes that create loopholes for illegal approvals.

She warned that the practice was undermining building safety and contributing to the risk of collapses in the city.

“We cannot have buildings collapsing and then we go back to try and ask who is responsible for all this,” Ms Nyawara told the committee, chaired by Baba Dogo Member of County Assembly Geoffrey Odhiambo Majiwa.

She said Nairobi residents were being exposed to danger by corrupt officials allegedly soliciting bribes from developers seeking shortcuts in the approval process.

Online building approval system

The professionals also questioned the composition of the Urban Planning Technical Committee (UPTC), established by Governor Sakaja to oversee building approvals in the city.

They argued that the committee should comprise architects, surveyors, engineers and other relevant specialists whose expertise would inform decisions before building plans are approved.

The professionals said Nairobi urgently needed a functional policy framework that incorporates all aspects of the built environment and ensures that technical expertise informs development decisions.

Ms Nyawara said the county should also strengthen engagement with professional associations and ensure their recommendations are considered and feedback provided.

“We do have to take in the input of associations when we give them and also just to ensure that their feedback loop is also maintained because we do participate a lot in giving feedback to the county,” she said.

The concerns were echoed by Christine Muchiri, chairperson of the AAK Town Planners Chapter, who said professionals were frustrated by being ignored despite their capacity to help prevent building collapses through proper planning and oversight.

Committee chairman Mr Majiwa called on the county government to prioritise the online building approval system, saying digitisation would help curb interference by powerful individuals allegedly influencing the process.

Four people died in building collapses in Nairobi earlier this year. Subsequent findings established that the buildings had been approved illegally.

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