Address construction sector challenges, architects urge Nairobi county government

A section of Nairobi's skyline. [David Njaaga,Standard]

The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) has called on Nairobi City County Government to address issues affecting the construction sector in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area.

Speaking during a media breakfast last week, the trade group said the sector has been hampered by many challenges, including failure of permitting system, corruption and loss of records.

Over the years, the Nairobi County Government has been responsible for development control with functions including development of a city master plan, zoning regulations, construction permitting and inspection of construction projects.

A decade ago, AAK initiated a process of deploying electronic systems to enhance efficiency and transparency.

With the support of the World Bank Group, an electronic construction permitting system was built for the city and has since been adopted by other counties of Mombasa, Kiambu, Machakos, Kisumu, Kajiado and Kilifi.

"While the automation of this function was expected to improve service delivery, ease of doing business and transparency, the industry has continued to experience major problems over the last decade, affecting the counties that have deployed the system," said AAK president Wilson Mugambi.

"We can state that the electronic construction permitting systems are not performing as expected by the industry."