For close to a year, engineers in Nairobi County have been applying for construction approvals on behalf of their clients at the Nairobi City County government’s planning management system.
But something peculiar has been happening; they claim that upon submitting the credentials and paying the requisite fee, the system goes blank with no feedback on whether the application has been approved or rejected.
What follows is a series of walk-ins into the offices at City Hall to seek approval.
Members of the public walk past the entrance to City Hall in Nairobi on April 19, 2024.
It is a tedious process that takes up to twelve months with the clients giving up on their construction projects, they said.
Online system goes blank
Mr Shammah Kiteme, the President of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK), told the Nairobi County Assembly’s planning committee that a section of officials within the county also take advantage of the system glitches to solicit bribes with the promise of fast-tracking their applications.
“The physical contact here in this context is that you need to exchange money so that the approval is carried out. Despite making the submission online, the contact person will tell you that the submission that you made was never received but they can fast-track the process for you. Is this how an online system works? There should be a digital footprint for each of the applications,” Mr Kiteme told the committee.
He also said the county executive has remained adamant in resolving their grievances.
Nairobi County Assembly.
Mr Kiteme was also pressed by the MCAs to name a section of officials who are asking for bribes before approving the applications.
He promised to table a list of the officials from the county executive.
“We have raised all the concerns and held meetings with the county executive but they remain unresolved. Engineers within the county are unable to work with their clients, some of them have lost opportunities and projects are delayed,” he added.
Engineers' frustration mounts
The engineers also complained of delays in payment confirmations, unclear workflows and feedback channels making it difficult for them to begin their projects.
Mr John Robert Ogallo, one of the engineers, said that the delay in the approvals is scaring investors in the county government.
“It is difficult and this is scaring away investors in the country. They are losing confidence in our local engineers and they are unable to complete these projects. Some of them are also giving up on the investment that they want to carry out. We want to ensure that all these challenges are resolved and that we have a seamless process,” Mr Ogallo told the assembly.
The Nairobi Planning and Development Management System is used by the county government to manage planning and development control by facilitating online applications, processing and issuance of approval.
It is also used for land amalgamation, building permits and outdoor advertisements within the county.
The system is entirely online meaning that those involved in the construction industry are required to submit documents with the approval process taking a few days.
Comparison with other counties
In some counties such as Machakos and Kiambu, the officials said the approval takes a few days while in Nairobi, it can take up to 12 months before it's approved. The engineers said that the system fails to pick credentials of new registrations making it difficult for them to upload documents.
Mr Alvin Palapala, who is the Chairperson of the Planning Committee, said the assembly will invite the county executive to shed light on the allegations.
“We have heard there are delays in the approval process and we have hereby summoned the county executive regarding the system. We believe that this is deliberately delaying the process of approvals and we are expected to meet the county executive next week to shed light,” Mr Palapala said.
