Rogue housing planners in Kiambu put on notice

Rogue planners and architects in Kiambu County have six months to comply with regulations on urban planning or have their houses demolished.

Kiambu Governor William Kabogo said yesterday that he would be meeting with architects today and planners next week to chart the way forward on this directive.

“You can hang a piece of clothing in your neighbour’s property because the two are just a metre apart,” said Mr Kabogo who blamed this on rogue planners. He insisted that the days of the planners and architects shifting the burden to the county governments were gone.

“The county had a County Spatial Plan which identifies our resource base and its potential,” said the governor.

“But more significantly, the plan provides the collective decisions by people of Kiambu in outlining the steps for the economic turnaround through effective use of people, spaces and potential,” he said.

Kabogo was speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony of Cytonn Investments’ Sh3 billion comprehensive, lifestyle housing project, The Alma, in Ruaka, Kiambu County. The project will see about 408 one, two and three-bedroom housing units built. It will also feature a convenience shop, restaurant, day-care, nursery, swimming pools and gym.

Commenting on the project, the governor said that it was supposed to encourage other developers to bring order in new real estate.

“We have stopped guys from putting up just anything,” he said, adding that if such measures were not taken, then shanty towns would spring up everywhere.

Kabogo also said that the county government would soon be digitising all approval processes. Already, it has signed an advisory agreement with the World Bank.

 Kabogo was upbeat that the automation process would see drawings approved in seven to 10 days.