Kisumu County launches e-construction permit with World Bank support

KISUMU, KENYA: Architects, builders, specialised design consultants, and contractors operating in Kisumu are expected to start using electronic construction permit system from next week following a successful implementation of the system by the World Bank.

The e-construction permit is web-based software application system where architects and developers submit their applications for approval online.

The system to be launched next week makes the county to becomes the second after Mombasa to switch from the manual system which has been criticised for its loopholes which promote corruption and delayed process in acquiring permits.

The county with support from the World Bank Group's Kenya Investment Climate Programme 2 (KICP 2) designed, developed, tested and deployed an online system for construction permits aimed at easing business startup and reducing the cost of doing business.

The support is a result of a cooperation agreement that was signed between the World Bank Group and the County of Kisumu in March 2014

For a long time, the application for construction permits has been a manual process which involves going to the City Planning Department along with printed plans and architectural drawings.

Thereafter the application goes through several different offices and takes approximately 14-30 days, hence expensive, lengthy and complex.

Governor Jack Ranguma has expressed confidence that the system will attract more investors into the county as the system promotes fairness and transparency.

He said the overall objective of the system is to attract and retain investments critical for job creation and growth.

"The manual, paper-based system currently being used requires messengers and clerks to take application files back and forth between departments. Often, the applicants hire a middleman or liaison to follow up the process on their behalf making it even more expensive. In addition, the documents submitted can sometimes get lost," said Ranguma.

City ICT officers are currently undergoing training on the use of the system ahead of the Wednesday next week launch to be attended by senior World Bank officials.

"The launch of the e-construction Permit System reaffirms our commitment to reduce the cost of doing business and attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into the County," added the Governor.

City Manager Doris Ombara said the system will allow the architects and developers to apply from the comfort of their desks, upload documents including evidence of payments, monitor their submitted approvals and after approval download their e-construction permits.

"The system also notifies applicants via SMS and email once the proposals complete key milestones in the system and we hope it will be a huge step towards reducing corruption and enhance public safety due to increased compliance in the industry through the adherence to good and lawful practices," said Ombara.