Relaxed building rules set to ease housing headache

Property developers will be granted a wider latitude to choose building materials under new regulations aimed at triggering innovation and making houses cheaper.

The proposed building regulations are meant to replace those first used in 1967 whose enforcement by multiple ministries and government departments has been blamed for the corruption that has allowed the construction of low standard buildings.

The cost for the country has been a loss of lives due to collapsing buildings.

“The new regulations put more emphasis on performance of the material. They encourage adoption of new technology in building and construction,” said Mr Steve Oundo, the chairman of the Architectural Association of Kenya.

Unlike in the past when the code specified the material to be used, the new regulations will allow developers to select materials that provide the best performance based on the building’s intended use.

The State-owned National Housing Corporation (NHC) has already mooted plans to set up a factory in Mavoko Municipality that will produce special concrete and wood panels which will be used to construct affordable houses in a shorter period.

The panels will, for example, help bring down the cost of constructing a three-bedroomed brick and mortar house from the current average of Sh3 million to Sh1.2 million.

Kenya’s appetite for housing currently stands at 150,000 units annually but the country can only produce 50,000 units, with the majority targeted at the high-end of the market due to the higher returns.

“Our intention is to move away from brick and mortar and roll out mega projects that will bring thousands of cheaper houses to the market and influence prices,” said Mr James Ruitha, NHC’s managing director.

This kind of technology will be showcased when Nairobi hosts the first ever global conference of the International Society of City and Regional Planners in mid next month.

Earlier, Mr Tirop Kosgey, the permanent secretary in the Ministry for Housing said outdated laws have resulted in tragedies and have been a major impediment to the delivery of modern housing to millions of urban residents.

“There must be a paradigm shift in the area of building materials that is centred on material performance instead of materials specification,” he said.

The changes will also place higher emphasis on the mandatory maintenance of buildings.