The National Construction Authority has been awarded a score of 97% (very good) for the financial year 2016/2017 by the Commission on Administrative Justice, also known as Office of the Ombudsman. The score, based on the resolution of public complaints, is an average of the quarterly scores awarded for the entire year.
Instituted as a performance measure, all government agencies are required to maintain complaints handling mechanisms and registers and to resolve public complaints within a stipulated time. The Authority receives an average of 150 official complaints per year, some lodged against the Authority directly, while others pertain to stakeholders in the industry. One can also lodge a complaint directly with the Ombudsman office as recourse.
Also Read:Â Project registration guidelines with National Construction Authority
The Authority received 157 complaints during the year, a decrease of 20% from last year. 75% of the complaints are related to Authority processes, especially registration and training. With all processes now digitized, the uptake has not been smooth sailing for all customers. However, the resolution rate of all complaints was 100% within the stipulated time of 7 days.
Enforcement still a major challenge
A further 10% of complaints logged are about irregular construction activities, especially when it comes to enforcement of site closures. The remaining 15% pertain to other stakeholders, especially the county governments. Enforcement has remained a major challenge for NCA, a fact that has necessitated the revision of the NCA Act, currently underway.
This will set out specific offenses and empower the Authority to prosecute them, leading to higher compliance rates. The Authority has also built strong inter-agency relationships with both state agencies and county governments, with plans to collapse the lengthy approval processes, coalescing the critical steps into a one-stop shop for all matters construction.
Feedback mechanisms
NCA feedback mechanisms include it’s social media channels, @ncakenya on Twitter and The National Construction Authority on Facebook. The email channels are [email protected] and [email protected]. A direct feedback form is also available on the Authority website, www.nca.go.ke
