Investors in Mombasa County according to a survey are reported to pay the highest bribes of up to Sh1 million to “facilitate” acquisition of building permits.
Conducted by the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) the survey looked into buildings’ approval in three major towns and seven of Kenya’s wealthiest counties.
It further indicated that investors in Kisumu, Uasin Gishu and Kajiado parted with bribes as high as Sh100,000, Kakamega (Sh50,000) and Nakuru at Sh20,000.
Kiambu on the other hand has witnessed massive multi-billion shilling investments in recent years, with bribes starting at Sh30,000.
The survey added that Nairobi, Machakos and Nyeri had no “facilitation fee” or informal “gifts” demanded by various State agencies to fast-track approvals.
AAK secretary Mugure Njendu called for harmonisation and standardisation of approval fees saying that this will enable counties to compete evenly in attracting investments.