Construction policy under review

The National Construction Authority (NCA) today commissioned research into the capacity of Kenyan contractors with a view to standardising construction materials and technology in the country.

The research will be a key output during this year’s Annual Construction Research Conference and Exhibition (ACoRCE) in November, which will bring together the region’s regulators who have adopted construction policies, manufacturers with new technologies adaptable for local industries and development partners.

In it’s second year now, the forum will allow deliberations for adoption into the National Construction Policy, answering to a wider mandate of the NCA in the improvement of safety in the country’s building sector.

“The continued growth of construction has increased demand on materials, technology and skills resulting in gaps in their use and therefore a number of failures,” said Aidah Munano, the PS for Housing & Urban Development. “Most of these failures are related to the quality or documentation of materials, inadequate capacity of contractors and their workers, unprofessional practices and enforcement challenges.”

The research will also identify challenges facing the construction industry such as the standardisation of emerging construction materials, technologies and skills based on the National Construction Research Agenda (NaCRA). It will help NCA to create processes to improve the capacity of skilled construction workers and an accreditation mechanism.

“This  will improve the quality of material available in the market, the capacity of contractors and skilled workers, which remain the greatest hindrance to realising the 30% local content in mega construction projects,” said Mr Daniel Manduku, the CEO of the National Construction Authority.

The regulator is seeking to repeal the Physical Planning Act as an initial step in harmonising regulations between the county and national governments.  “We’re looking at the collaboration between the NCA, NLC, NEMA and County governments’ on matters regulation. A good instance would be land acquisition procedures which are a main cause of delay in projects; where each party abides by its’ set regulations causing delays thereby impacting on financing a single project” said Mr Manduku.

[crp]