Over 50 000 buildings in Nairobi County risk demolition after failing to seek City Hall’s construction approval.

According to a report by the Daily Nation developers of the buildings have been given one month to seek approval permits following the expiry of the six-month period given by Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero for them to do so.

The Nairobi County government has approved building plans worth Sh168.8 billion in the last nine months after the passing of the Regularisation of Developments Bill by the county assembly.

The Bill was passed in September 2015 after several buildings in the city collapsed due to poor construction.

Time is running out

“The six-month period is ending next month. So developers who have not regularised their buildings should hurry or they face the consequences,” director of public communication Beryl Okundi said Monday.

In a press statement, Governor Kidero said only developers from Lucky Summer estate in Pipeline had agreed to regularise their structures.

He said 10 per cent of the buildings owned by the Lucky Summer Welfare Association have been regularised.

“Already, about 300 plans, representing 50 per cent of the remaining structures, have been submitted to the county for evaluation and will be granted regularisation approval in the next few weeks,” Dr Kidero said.

He said another group of developers from Roysambu had also approached the county government on regularising their buildings.

Title deed required before plans approved

Many of the owners of the unapproved buildings bought land from land-buying companies that issued them with share certificates as proof of ownership.

However, prospective developers are required to own a title deed before their building plans are approved.

The new law now allows holders of share certificates to acquire building permits, provided an audit by the county on the structures deems them fit for occupation.

However, statistics released by the city planning department show that most plans in 2015 were approved in September.

–The Daily Nation (Lillian Mutavi)