Why your posh residence might be a death trap – JEVANS NYABIAGE

Is Kenya’s architecture dying? This is the question in the minds of many Kenyans as many buildings increasingly become death traps. Based on the rate that structures in the country are collapsing, the upshot would be horrendous if an earthquake for example the size of the one that hit Haiti and killed more than 100,000 shook Kenya. The situation has been agitated by the massive population growth in our towns and cities that continue to put pressure on existing buildings, a demand that comes with its problems.

The often fatal collapse of buildings in Kiambu, Nairobi’s Nyamakima, Kisii, Nakuru, Mombasa, and a number of other areas shows the enormity of the situation. According to the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), 65 per cent of Kenya’s urban buildings are sub-standard and unapproved.

Recently a lady complained that a house she had paid Sh9 million for was already leaking. The developer said that the main aim of putting up the property was to make money and therefore buyers should have read the contracts before committing themselves. She is not alone; another person called the newsroom early last week.

“I know three houses which are having the same problems in Lavington. It is so common and even those ugly houses in Eastlands are not spared. The buildings are done in such a hurry,” he said. Insiders who talked to the Sunday Nation blame this on a breed of quick-buck property developers who pose as agents, contractors, quantity surveyors, architects and engineers —in short they are everything.

These developers don’t do this alone. Sources familiar with such dealings say they collude with planning officials at local authorities to get quick approval of building plans. This has led to a trend that has seen the mushrooming of buildings that flout the building code.

Industry players say there is no regulation for contractors– anyone can register a construction company and start trading. This is what gave rise to the National Construction Authority Bill that will bring a raft of reforms including the creation of a National Construction Authority. The law aims at streamlining the construction sector through registration and regulation of the industry.

Mr Steven Oundo, AAK chairman, says the government through local authorities is responsible for controlling and approving development and ensuring that all construction works adhere to the building code. “This has been lacking as the local authorities lack in professional personnel to undertake these responsibility coupled with the ever so present plague of corruption,” he says.

Kenyan laws require that any person or company wishing to put up a building must have the structure designed by a qualified architect and engineer. The plan is then submitted to local authorities’ officials for approval. Mr Gerald Wamalwa, the chief executive officer of Mellech Group partly blames developers.

“The developer has the duty to himself to engage the services of qualified team of consultants who are registered with their relevant boards and also those of a qualified construction company with a good track record.”

He says the problem arises when developers want to make savings on their expenditure and hence secure the services of quacks (both for consultancy and construction) that do not perform their duties of design, supervision and construction as required.

The result is that shrewd contractors have a field day of cutting shortcuts further in use of weak concrete mixes, substandard materials and generally poor quality work in their finishes resulting in such problems. AAK suggests that an oversight body—Planning and Building Authority based at the Housing ministry, be formed and charged with approving building plans, inspecting construction work and punishing errant professionals such as quantity surveyors, architects and engineers.

As of now, Mr Oundo says there are many cases where the contractor has no capacity and competence to undertake the scale of project that has been awarded to him. Projects are awarded to brief case contractors who do not have the technical knowhow of the construction process resulting in shoddy workmanship and use of poor materials.

Mr Macharia Kihuro, a risk management practitioner at Panafrican Housing Financial, Shelter Afrique says financial institutions who give loans without allowing sufficient grace period make developers rush to build so that they start servicing their loans.

He says, as a result, the work done is substandard and shoddy. For example, as soon as they are done with the lower floors they put them up for occupancy as they continue to finish the top floors. Mr Oundo, says quacks in the sector outnumber qualified professionals by a factor of three, describing the situation as a disaster waiting to happen.

He says his association has about 1,500 registered members while an estimated 5,000 quacks were masquerading as engineers, planners and architects. In the country, Housing Finance is the only fully fledged mortgage service provider, following the absorption of S&L into KCB’s Bank mainstream business.

The 2009 Hass Property Index showed that prices for fully furnished apartments in Nairobi targeting high-end income earners oscillated between Sh15 million and Sh20 million, far out of the reach of a majority high income earners whose average monthly take home is Sh100,000.

The 2009 Economic Survey showed that the housing demand far outstripped the supply. Against an annual demand of 150,000 units, the market is only able to produce 30,000 units. Housing Finance’s managing director Frank Ireri points out that the prevailing high prices are as a result of other factors such as rising land costs, high cost of construction material and an outdated building code that limits the use of appropriate technology.

On whether to develop one’s own house or buy, Mr Wamalwa says each has its pros and cons. It is less demanding to purchase an already constructed house especially when professional consultants and developers are in charge.

To ensure that the product that one is purchasing is of the right quality, he says buyers have to demand from house vendors copies of the approved architectural and structural drawings and proof of registration of all the consultants involved with the construction project.

The buyer must also demand a copy of the Occupation Certificate, an important document issued by the local authority upon their receipt of proof from the registered consultants that they personally supervised the construction of all the works and all quality standards were met.

However, he says building one’s house gives the advantage of choosing the specific features to incorporate in the design according to personal tastes. AAK insists that all sites should have a site sign boards that give the names of the project, the developer, the consultants involved, the contractors and the approval minute number from the Local Authority so that quacks can be stamped out.

Source: Daily Nation