Engineers warn of impostors and flawed approval process in Nairobi

Engineers in Nairobi have raised the alarm over the growing number of impostors involved in the approval of buildings and developments, warning that it hampers investigations into collapsed structures and exposes the public to serious risks.

This came out during a session between the Institution of Engineers of Kenya and the Nairobi County Assembly Committee for Planning.

The engineers highlighted key gaps in the county’s development approval process, including the lack of a requirement for geotechnical reports, which are essential for determining soil and rock conditions before construction begins.

“In Kiambu County, for instance, that is mandatory, but it is not a requirement in Nairobi; it's important to have it done,” said John Robert Ogallo, one of the engineers.

He explained that the county should have a dedicated team of geotechnical engineers. In their absence, unqualified individuals have taken advantage of the situation to offer services at low prices.

“Developers would run to them because they are doing it at maybe a third of the price, and then they just come and plagiarize other people's work or they do shortcuts,” Ogallo said.

“When buildings collapse, they always ask what was the geotechnical report submitted. But now, why are you asking about if it was submitted and not concerned about who is to do it in the first instance?” he posed.

The engineers also criticised the county's online platform, the Nairobi Planning & Development Management System, which was created to ease the approval process.

They claimed the system is inefficient and often leads to unnecessary delays, forcing them to seek approvals in person.

“While the system is supposed to ensure there is no need for me to come here physically, it's an electronic submission. So when you frustrate the process, you induce the need for physical contact,” said Shamah Kiteme from the Institution of Engineers.

He went on, “How it works, I submit, and you know, every electronic process has what you call digital signature. Then, even with that, you follow up and you're told your submission was never received.”

The engineers said that frequent issues with the system include missing payment confirmations, unclear workflows, and poor feedback mechanisms.

They claimed these issues are being used to inconvenience professionals and create loopholes for corruption.

The Committee, chaired by Alvin Olando, directed the engineers to submit the names of county officers suspected of tampering with the system to force physical meetings for approvals.