Shortage of plumbers and masons increases cost of owning homes

For many years several plumbers and painters lined up on Nairobi’s Moi Avenue looking for contracts. They held onto their paint brushes and wooden boxes and would dash to the window of any vehicle that stopped to ask for work. Today, the plumbers are a rare sight.

The rising cost of hiring a plumber, mason or painter — who are in short supply — has expanded the share of labour costs to a quarter of total building expenditure in Kenya, with surveyors forecasting a further rise.

The Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK) estimates that the ratio of labour to building cost has grown to 25 per cent from 20 per cent two years ago, making construction more expensive for aspiring home owners and property developers.

Plumbers and electricians, the most sought-after, now charge between Sh1,500 and Sh2,000 per day up from a range of Sh750 and Sh1,000 in 2012. Those based in the cities — Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu — charge more.

“Labour used to account for between 18 and 20 per cent of building cost in 2012 but it now accounts for 25 per cent,” IQSK chairman David Gaitho said in an interview.

“This is as a result of a shortage of building specialists — especially plumbers who have doubled their charges.”

The short supply of artisans has been blamed on an increasing shift of focus among learners towards degree courses perceived to lead to white-collar jobs while snubbing technical and vocational training. Even those who enrol in these institutions often prefer alternatives like mechanic and technician courses.

READ: Plumber shortage hits builders amid bid to plug skill gap

Contractors hold that Kenya could be sitting on a labour time bomb in the face of glaring skills shortages in the critical building sub-sector, calling the need for speedy interventions from both the government and the private sector.

Presently, there are 748 technical, industrial and vocational educational training (Tivet) institutions in the country, out of which 579 are youth polytechnics.

Though only 52 in number, universities absorbed slightly more than twice the number of students enrolled in Tivets last year, underlining the disparity in the preferences of learners and capacity of the institutions.

Official data shows that 324,560 students enrolled in universities last year compared to 148,009 learners who joined Tivets in the same period.

“With this picture, building labour cost could rise even further,” said the surveyors.

The Mutava Musyimi-chaired parliamentary Budget and Appropriations Committee proposed that Sh1.4 billion be set aside for setting up at least one additional training polytechnic in each of the 290 counties, aimed at ramping up student intake.

This is after former President Mwai Kibaki upgraded the Kenya and Mombasa polytechnics to technical universities, leaving only three national polytechnics to impart technical and vocational skills to learners.

Quantity surveyors are cost advisors who value the cost of a building and give valuation of every aspect of the project, including measurements, building materials and labour cost.

The dues for masons and painters swing between Sh1,200 and Sh1,500 per day, a climb from a daily take-home pay of between Sh700 and Sh1,000 in 2012.

Tom Miruka, a Nairobi-based plumber, says demand for his services has peaked, giving him leverage to negotiate for higher dues.

“I charge anything not less than Sh1,500 per day,” he told the Business Daily.

The subdued supply of certified artisans into the market is feared to slow down the expanding building sub-sector. Worse still, it could mean having to do with uncertified jua kali artisans who lack the required qualifications, posing a risk of sub-standard buildings.

Several buildings under construction have collapsed in the past, blamed on shoddy work by contractors and artisans.

READ: Contractors face tough rules to curb buildings collapse

Official data shows that the value of approved building plans jumped 34.2 per cent to Sh243.1 billion last year driven by increased activity in real estate sector.

In the period, the building and construction sector grew faster 5.5 per cent, with the sector accounting for 4.4 per cent of Kenya’s gross domestic product, highlighting its critical role in the economy.

Kenya is positioning itself to break ground for mega public projects including Konza City technopolis in Machakos County and construction is going on for a new terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and for the Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor.

Timothy Muriuki, the managing director at Nairobi-based Index Construction Ltd, noted that the lack of a data bank from which skilled artisans can be sourced has left property developers at the mercy of referrals.

Kenya lacks a national skills database, hampering efforts by industry players, education and labour policy makers to establish and subsequently plug sectorial skills gap.

This has made it critical for contractors to create close ties with site agents – commonly known as foremen — who often have a pool of workers.

Like Kenya, South Africa is experiencing a shortage of up to 46,000 artisans according to a report from its higher education department last year.

Plumbers and painters interviewed by the Business Daily noted that most property developers now demand that quotation of charges be made upfront as opposed to daily wages, aiming at discouraging idling at building sites and delaying of tasks on the premise. 

For a two-bedroom house, plumbers charge between Sh45,000 and Sh50,000 for the one month work.

This includes piping of hot and cold water systems and fitting of shower heads, bath tubs, kitchen sinks and water storage tanks.

Tony Wita, a painter, explained that it costs Sh25,000 to paint the same unit, including the ceiling and walls.

The National Construction Authority (NCA) — the regulatory body of Kenya’s building and construction industry — has drafted regulations awaiting Parliament’s approval in efforts to bring order in the sector.

Under the regulations, plumbers, welders, masons, carpenters and painters will be registered by NCA for purposes of setting up a data bank of these skills. At the moment, only contractors are registered.

The skills data bank will serve as a one-stop shop for the government, private employers and investors, easing the process of scouting for talent while guiding policy makers in addressing skills shortages.

“If the NCA guidelines are adopted, contractors would be held accountable in ensuring all artisans working for them are registered with us,” said NCA chairman Steven Oundo.

Labour secretary Kazungu Kambi told the Business Daily that the government would set up Kenya’s first national skills database by July based on the findings of a manpower survey conducted in 2012.

Mr Kambi said that the multi-sectorial skills inventory would help reduce such cases of skills shortages.

“We are aware of the shortages of personnel in various sectors. We are hopeful the skills data bank will enable us shape future policies with regard to skills distribution,” he said.

Additionally, a levy of 0.5 per cent will be imposed on building contracts whose value exceeds Sh5 million, with the funds partly directed towards training of artisans and technicians in line with national standards and changing building technologies.

In what portends even higher cost of building in future, the Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya noted that county taxes coupled with the fast depleting quarries is set to raise the cost of materials.

In Nairobi, a tonne of sand retails at between Sh1,500 and Sh1,750 depending on the distance from the source point.

A large part of the sand and ballast used in the city comes from quarries in Athi River, Machakos County.

Building stones largely sourced from Thika go for between Sh50 and Sh65 a piece.

Contractors said the cost of a tonne of ballast – Sh1,500 and Sh1,800 –  along with that of sand had gone up by Sh100 compared to early last year.

“County tax is the major culprit in the higher costs of building materials,” said Mr Gaitho.

This comes at a time when players such as Malaysia-based Koto Housing Ltd and the National Housing Corporation (NHC) are moving to champion increased uptake of modern construction models.

The expanded polystyrene technology used by NHC uses soft board panels and wire mesh in the construction of walls, slab and roofing in the place of building stones and timber.

The new building technologies are helping plug a shortage of traditional building materials such as stones, whose quarries are fast being depleted. Additionally, it takes less time in setting up a structure.

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