House demolition. The number of approvals has fallen due to stringent inspection. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Construction jobs and building material sales dipped sharply
following a 34.6 per cent drop in projects approved by the Nairobi
County government from January to June, 2019.
The Built
Environment report by Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) noted
only 955 projects
worth Sh84.2 billion were approved in a process that took an average of 41.35 days. Last year 1,167 projects worth Sh128.7 billion were approved in 37 days.
worth Sh84.2 billion were approved in a process that took an average of 41.35 days. Last year 1,167 projects worth Sh128.7 billion were approved in 37 days.
“The county’s revenue
also fell by 33.1 percent or Sh165 million to Sh333 million. This is an
area that could be fast-tracked if online portals were used to process
all building applications thereby reducing human contact that gives
graft a fertile ground to thrive,” said AAK president Mugure Njendu.
The
fall is largely blamed on stringent inspection following last year’s
“bomoa bomoa” campaign where properties standing on road reserves, fire
stations, riparian and forestland were demolished despite ownership
documents.
This saw Governor Mike Sonko direct the
building approvals committee to conduct due diligence on land ownership,
visit project sites and consult other regulatory agencies before
approving projects.
Residential buildings took up 74.32
percent of approvals followed by public use at 11.23 percent,
industrial 8.63 percent, commercial 5.93 percent while education
developments took a paltry 0.21 percent.
Eastleigh, Karen, Nairobi’s Central Business District and Industrial area took up m
No comments :
Post a Comment