The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) has called on Nairobi City County to urgently restore the Nairobi Planning and Development Management System (NPDMS), warning that the prolonged outage is disrupting development approvals, delaying projects and eroding public confidence in the approval process.
In a statement signed by AAK President George A. Ndege, the association said it had received numerous complaints from members over the system’s failure, which has reportedly remained non-operational for several weeks, including most of July.
“The prolonged unavailability of the e-Permitting System is now undermining these gains and disrupting the very ecosystem it was designed to support,” Ndege said.
AAK noted that the NPDMS is the primary platform for submitting, processing, paying for and approving development applications, making its continued downtime a major setback for professionals, developers, investors, contractors and property owners.
According to the association, Nairobi County processed an average of 169 development applications per month in 2025, generating approximately KES 113 million in approval fees from projects valued at an average of KES 18.7 billion, highlighting the platform’s importance to investment and county revenue.
Ndege also urged the county government to improve communication with stakeholders during service interruptions.
“When system downtimes occur, users require timely, accurate and consistent information,” he said, adding that the county should establish a clear communication protocol outlining the nature of the problem, actions being taken and realistic restoration timelines.
AAK further renewed its call for the establishment of a One Stop Shop (OSS) for development approvals to improve transparency and complaint resolution.
“The Nairobi City County [should] restore the e-Permitting System immediately, as its continued downtime is eroding public confidence in the development approval process it is intended to safeguard,” Ndege said.
