•Kenya Institute of Planners (KIP) chairperson Joakim Nyarangi revealed that developers were staring at losing at least Sh10 billion every month.
•According to Badi, the hackers are no strangers but retires city hall staff who colluded with outsiders to do illegal approvals.
Image: WILFRED NYANGERESI.
Approval of Building plans in Nairobi will resume this week on Thursday following the restoration of the e-construction development plans application system.
The site had been suspended since late last month by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services after it was hacked.
NMS director general Mohammed Badi said all loopholes that might have been used by the hackers were sealed.
This was after Security agencies and ICT experts from the Ministry were handed over the e-construction system to look into the situation.
“As NMS we suspended the system to seal the loophole that the hackers were using to make illegal approvals,” Badi said.
“We then called in technology experts from the Ministry of ICT and it took us almost two weeks to get the system rectified.”
The system, QR code system, is part of the e-construction permit system used for the application of building plans and construction permits.
It provides unique electronic identification of all approved architectural and structural plans, eliminating the need for property developers to submit hard copies of development plans for physical stamping as a mark of final approval.
At least 18 illegals buildings approval were made early this month after the online development plans approval system was hacked.
Kenya Institute of Planners chairperson Joakim Nyarangi revealed that developers were staring at losing at least Sh10 billion every month.
Approximately, NMS receives between 200 and 250 high-end investment applications worth hundreds of millions through the system every two weeks.
Major General faulted the hacking saying it was caused by the failure to upgrade the e-construction system for the last four years which as a result created loopholes.
He said the system which was owned by the Nairobi County Government was sponsored by World Bank almost four years ago.
“Unfortunately after the one year grace period of handing over to the county, the lease of maintenance by the contractor of World Bank ceased and the county was supposed to take over and upgrade it. That system has not been upgraded for the last four years,” he said.
As result, due to lack of upgrading, the NMS boss said loopholes were creating an opportunity for hackers to get into the e-construction system.
According to Badi, the hackers are no strangers but retired city hall staff who colluded with outsiders to do illegal approvals.
“I can say these hackers are really not outsiders but retired county staff as some had the system codes. It’s unfortunate that desperate city residents landed in the hands of these conniving dealers and got illegal approvals,” he said.
On March 18, last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta established the NMS and directed Badi to streamline projects development and clear approvals that had accumulated following the takeover of City Hall by corruption cartels.
The online QR code system was launched on March 29, providing a unique identification of all approved architectural and structural plans, eliminating the need for property developers to submit hard copies of development plans for stamping upon approval.
It came at a time when the hitches had hit City Hall’s planning department that led to the suspension of officials who were responsible for giving building approvals.
The approvals were halted in August last year.
During this period, the value of approved housing projects had dropped from Sh210 billion in 2018 to Sh141.27 billion in 2019, according to last February's Architectural Association of Kenya report citing the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
NMS has approved at least 7000 development project applications since the entity was established.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris