NMS Dissolves City Hall’s Buildings Approval Department, Suspends E-construction Application System

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has disbanded Nairobi County’s planning and technical committee.

In a public notice, NMS director general Mohamed Abdalla said that the e-construction development application processing system has also been suspended.

“The e-construction development application processing system formerly managed by NCCG is suspended immediately pending formation of a new system. All applications should continue to be filed to NMS DG’s office at KICC first floor,” a public notice published on Wednesday read.

NCCG was on an eight month break and only resumed in February following a fall in approved projects.

Last year, Sh141.327 billion worth of projects were approved, a Sh69 billion drop from the previous year.

According to Major Abdalla, a new committee will be constituted in seven days.

Further, NMS suspended all applications made for change of user, extension of user, subdivision and amalgamation, advertisements and renewal of leases.

Nairobi City County had not processed permit for a period of last two months, as of last October ostensibly due to a technical challenge hence leading to a stall in several proposed constructions in the city.

In the Kenya Private Developers Association (KPDA) and Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) report on building approvals for June 2019, revenue collection for development approvals was Ksh53,857,328.

Nairobi’s hitch on the system started in May 2019, and eventually collapsed when the contract between the Nairobi City County and the service provider – Jambo-Pay ended.

The 2018 World Bank report on the ease of doing business in Kenya based on the parameter of acquisition of building permits and development approvals ranked Kenya at position 124 below its peers such as Rwanda (112), Botswana (59) and Namibia (107).

The NMS and City Hall have disagreed on the running of the county after governor Mike Sonko handed over the key functions.

In April, Sonko declined to assent to the Sh15 billion allocated to NMS.

He referred Nairobi County Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2020 back to the assembly, saying amendments in it contravened provisions of the law.

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