The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has given businesses with pending licence applications a 14-day deadline to resolve outstanding issues or risk having to reapply under the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA).
The directive is part of the authority’s efforts to streamline operations under its new Integrated Environment Information Management System (ENVIS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform, launched in July 2025.
In a notice published on Wednesday, NEMA said the move is intended to ensure all pending applications undergo proper technical review, paving the way for a Record of Decision (RoD).
A RoD is the official statement issued after reviewing a project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), indicating whether the project is approved or rejected.
“NEMA, therefore, wishes to inform all clients with pending applications which were submitted before August 1, 2025, to contact respective NEMA offices where submissions were made to ensure all the pending technical review issues are addressed,” the notice reads. The agency warned that any application not addressed by September 30 will be concluded based on the documents already submitted.
“Failure to comply with the above, the Authority will proceed to make the Record of Decision based on the submitted documents and all available records to bring to a close these applications received at NEMA prior to August 1, 2025,” NEMA said. Applicants with incomplete submissions will be required to start the process anew under EMCA and related regulations.
The directive follows the rollout of NEMA’s ENVIS and ERP systems, which the authority says were designed to enhance efficiency, accountability, and transparency in environmental licensing. However, the Environmental Institute of Kenya (EIK) criticised the platforms for being introduced without adequate consultation, warning that the rollout could worsen bureaucracy.
EIK Chair Alex Mugambi said thousands of experts have been unable to access the system, leaving projects, contracts, and licences stalled nationwide. “We, as experts, were given only six hours’ notice before the new system was implemented, which left much to be desired on our part,” he said. The institute has called on NEMA to revert to the old system while a structured transition is undertaken and to address what it describes as systemic legal, procurement, and technical failures.
“We’re calling for Nema to revert to the old system, conduct a structured transition, and address the systemic legal, procurement, and technical failures,” EIK said in a statement. Despite the criticism, NEMA has urged all businesses to act quickly to avoid having their applications closed or being forced to start the process from scratch.
