This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
On July 31, 2019, the Nairobi County government's approval of construction projects plummeted by 34.6 percent, causing a sharp decline in construction jobs and building material sales.
According to the Built Environment report by Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), only 955 projects worth Sh84.2 billion were approved in a process that took an average of 41.35 days. This is a stark contrast to the previous year, when 1,167 projects worth Sh128.7 billion were approved in just 37 days.
AAK president Mugure Njendu noted that the county's revenue also fell by 33.1 percent, or Sh165 million, to Sh333 million. Njendu suggested that using online portals to process building applications could help reduce human contact and graft.
The decline in approvals is largely attributed to the stringent inspection process following last year's
