Nema’s ability to enforce environmental standards and raise revenue from project assessments is in serious doubt, after revelations that only one quantity surveyor is responsible for vetting thousands of environmental impact reports every year.

An audit by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu for the year ending June 2024 shows that the National Environment Management Authority has been relying on a single officer to review over 7,000 environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports annually across all 47 counties, raising questions about the integrity and credibility of the approvals process.

The authority’s EIA reviews are meant to examine project costs and environmental effects to ensure compliance with environmental regulations. But according to the audit, the staffing shortfall means the process lacks proper checks and exposes Nema to potential revenue losses and manipulation by firms seeking quick approvals.

“However, as per the approved staff establishment, only one quantity surveyor was in place against annual applications of 7,021 for EIA licenses across the 47 counties.

This exposes the authority to risks of revenue loss due to elements of lack of segregation of duty, exhaustion, collusion and fraud during valuation of projects,” said Gathungu.

This means the single surveyor reviews an average of 19 reports daily.

Each EIA report can be hundreds of pages long, with no standard limit on length. Despite this heavy workload, the fees from the reviews form a critical part of Nema’s revenue, with the agency collecting Sh576.42 million in the year under review—making up 71.2 per cent of its total earnings.

The audit further highlights that Nema depends on companies to carry out their own project valuations and submit estimates that are then verified by the lone surveyor.

This self-assessment model, according to the Auditor-General, creates room for undervaluation and fraud, as there are limited internal mechanisms to cross-check the submitted data.

Nema’s Director-General Mamo Boru acknowledged the staffing challenge, saying the authority is working to improve the situation by establishing regional quantity surveying offices to decentralise and speed up the verification process.

“The authority is addressing the staffing level of QSs by undertaking continuous workload analysis for the cost verification exercise and we are currently setting up regional QSs (quantity surveyors) offices to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in this process,” Boru said.

He added that the agency has been relying on professionals seconded from other government departments to support the verification work and prevent companies from underreporting costs in order to reduce the fees they are supposed to pay.

According to Boru, the quantity surveyor’s responsibility is to confirm project cost estimates provided by firms by benchmarking them against standard costing in the relevant sectors. Nema, he said, assumes that company-hired experts follow professional standards and that the agency’s job is to provide oversight.

However, the Auditor-General’s report faults this approach, warning that it creates loopholes for unethical conduct, reduces accountability, and puts the agency’s environmental protection role at risk.