On Thursday 6^th April 2023, KEPSA Land, Physical Planning, Housing and Urban Development Sector Board led by the chair Mr. Gikonyo Gitonga engaged with the Department of Land, Physical Planning, Municipal Administration and Urban Development of Kiambu County led by CEC Salome Wainaina at the Kiambu County Offices. The meeting was to formally commence engagements with the Kiambu County team and to bring to attention issues that are affecting the private sector in the Construction, Real Estate and Urban Sector in Kiambu County alongside proposed solutions to combat these challenges.

The CEC Ms. Salome Wainaina first appreciated KEPSA for their intentional preparation and planning of the meeting that aided in the clearing of several grey areas between the public and private sectors as well as developing solutions to the existing problems. In her remarks, she brought to attention several projects that the department is working on to ease the burden on both sectors. She highlighted the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System that is under development which will automate all services under the Land, Physical Planning, Housing and Urban Development, the planning of a geologically detailed scope of the Kiambu County land, and the current World Bank Evaluation for the approval of the 6 Municipalities within the County. As she concluded, she emphasized the need for constant engagement and communication for productive and effective partnerships and hoped that KEPSA would be willing to partner in a bid to significantly build the sector.   

The Sector Board Chair, Mr. Gikonyo, in his remarks, mentioned that there was a gap in County level engagements and that the inaugural meeting with the Kiambu County is a positive start to developing county-level engagements. He iterated that Kiambu County’s rapid urbanization and close proximity to the city makes it an important contributor to the economy and in this regard, highlighted several issues that require proactive contributions and solutions that the CEC willingly addressed.

He cited that there are inadequate qualified experts during the building inspection drills which results to frequent collapsing of buildings within the county and called for the creation of teams of qualified personnel of various professions for reliable and effective inspection. He also commented on the time constraint in using the manual system that the Kiambu County Government has put in place for submission of development approvals and the need for zoning regulations to ensure that there are no illegal buildings within the specific areas in the county

In response, the CEC mentioned that teams are underway and called for experts within KEPSA to join and support the county on this endeavour. She also mentioned that the automation of all systems will be up and running by the month of July and encouraged patience among members as they install the new system.

The Director of Planning Ms. Hannah Maranga, in her remarks, mentioned the current challenge in Kiambu County as higher developments than planning. She cited that through the County Spatial Plan and 12 integrated Urban Plans that are under development, the County aims to significantly reduce the impact of this challenge. She further called for support from KEPSA in the advocacy of the clinics held by the County as a way of educating sector players on policy and regulatory matters.  

In conclusion, the meeting agreed upon frequent collaborations with the inspection teams and implementation of zoning regulations as well as constant communication and engagements that will significantly combat the existing challenges for an effective and sustainable sector.