Why Kenya’s planners are a worried lot

Motorists drive through floods on Mombasa’s Malindi Road. Planners have at times been unfairly blamed for such occurrences. [PHOTO: MAARUFU MOHAMED/ STANDARD]

NAIROBI: At a recent conference organised by the Kenya Institute of Planners, local planners raised a number of concerns they feel must be addressed urgently.

Whereas they appreciated the new opportunities created by both the national and county governments, they felt that the Kenyan public is not sufficiently informed about the role of planners and, therefore, wrongly targeting them for criticism whenever a building collapses, or more recently, for the flooding that inundated several towns in the country.

True, there is a sense in which planners should bear responsibility, especially when you consider that their actions have in the past abetted the grabbing of riparian areas and open spaces.

It is, however, questionable whether planners should be held liable for collapse of buildings that are designed by architects and structural engineers, and the failure of drainage systems designed by civil engineers.

Participants at the conference, which brought planners from all the counties, while appreciating the increase in opportunities for practising planners, expressed their dissatisfaction with the manner in which planning assignments are being contracted by both the national and county governments.

They said procurement departments have tended to favour non-planning professionals in awarding tenders. Most of these jobs have been awarded to surveying, valuation, engineering and even auditing firms.

This is against provisions of the Physical Planning Act and the Physical Planners Registration Act. Both legislation stipulate that all physical development plans shall be prepared by the director of physical planning, a function he has delegated to registered and licensed physical planners.

Often, the justification for contracting non-planning firms is that such firms have hired registered and licensed planners to fill the position of project planner. This arrangement is, however, fraught with challenges.

It is common for non-planning firms to renege on any agreement entered into with planning professionals, and subsequently proceed to complete the assignment with the help of much junior planners.

Another source of disquiet is the entry of foreign professionals into the areas that are traditionally the preserve of local planners. In many cases, project donors have insisted that foreign firms are invited to bid for these assignments, and subsequently apply pressure on government officials to favourably consider the bids.

Granted, the participation of foreign firms may infuse new concepts and technologies into the local practice. The problem is, most of these foreign consultants have very little experience in the Kenyan market and certainly lack the necessary insights to understand local development circumstances.

Another concern for planners is the seeming lack of a pricing policy when it comes to planning assignments. Another point of contention is the recruitment of non-planners to fill the positions of planning officers in the counties.

Only time will tell what land use and/or urban scenarios this country will witness in future.

- The writer is a planning educator and consultant.