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Improve structural defects to avoid building demolitions – Kidero

Speaking at City Hall, he explained that this will ensure that buildings are safe and sound without having a negative impact on the county's economy/FILE

Speaking at City Hall, he explained that this will ensure that buildings are safe and sound without having a negative impact on the county’s economy/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 18 – Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero is urging developers whose buildings may have structural defects to take advantage of the regularisation process by City Hall to avoid demolition.

While pointing out that 60 percent of buildings in the city have got structural defects, Kidero stated that the regularisation process seeks to determine areas that need improvement before approval is granted.

Speaking at City Hall, he explained that this will ensure that buildings are safe and sound without having a negative impact on the county’s economy.

“Up to 60 percent of buildings in Nairobi were not approved because some of them did not have title deeds and because of pressure for need for housing; they went ahead and constructed and that is the reason why we passed a bill called the Regularisation Bill,” he said.

“So we are giving the opportunity to people who never had their buildings approved because they did not have the relevant documents to bring them forward so that we can regularise them,” he urged.

Kidero however stated that the buildings that are currently being brought down are the ones that cannot be repaired or made safe through the regularisation process.

“The ones that are coming down are those that cannot be helped. The ones that can be helped will definitely be helped. The good ones will be approved, the ones probably that have structural defects, if can be corrected will be corrected because bringing buildings down is the last thing that we want to do,” he said.

He indicated that buildings put up contribute to the economy of the county through rental and other incomes and pointed out that if they can be saved, action will be taken.

“They are part and parcel of our economy. So we are asking people who have buildings that were not approved to come forward. Those who will not come forward will face the consequences when we bring down their buildings and as I have said we gave them a period of 90 days,” he stated.

City Hall commenced the demolition of structurally unsound buildings Tuesday following the collapse of a seven storey structure in Huruma that claimed 51 lives.

READ: 40 people now dead in Huruma building tragedy

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The Regularization Bill which has since been passed by the County Assembly is meant to crack down on rogue contractors and put an end to the problem of unsound buildings.

The Bill seeks to regularise all buildings that had not been approved after property owners protested against blanket demolitions.

Following its approval a vetting committee was set up comprising an urban planning expert, surveyor, engineer, environmental expert, architect, lands officers and legal officers to review building plans for approval.

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