NCA, NEMA regard education as key to avoiding demolitions in Kenya

The National Construction Authority (NCA) and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) have resorted to focusing on educating Kenyans on the ‘necessary legal requirements’ for developers to avoid demolitions, ahead of the big 5 construct East Africa exhibitions.

The two government institutions observed that with some 4,000 buildings targeted for demolition in Kenya, there is urgent need for construction professionals to review the correct legal approval process as a means of safeguarding future projects and avoid losses occasioned by demolitions.

NCA and NEMA, who sit on the technical committee charged with auditing unsafe buildings and those built on wetlands, say that the current demolition action whose primary focus is reclaiming riparian land in Nairobi is an example of what could happen if asset owners neglect to follow the due legal process.

The two authorities announce they will utilise The Big 5 Construct East Africa, the official Exhibition of National Construction Week Kenya, to highlight these issues.

According to NEMA, non-compliance includes adding extra units on top of the approved ones, encroachment into the road reserve, encroachment into the riparian reserve and failure to observe the building line and setbacks.

Both NCA and NEMA representatives will be speaking at The Big 5 Construct East Africa from 7-9 November at Kenyatta International Convention Centre. More insight into the topic of demolition in Kenya will be available to visitors through the free CPD-certified workshops at the event.

Forty workshop sessions will cover Affordable Housing, Technology & Design in Building Construction, Project Management and Engineering and Sustainability in Construction. There will be a dedicated series for Women in Construction.

The Big 5 Construct East Africa

The Big 5 Construct East Africa will also bring over 220 exhibitors from more than 20 countries to showcase the latest building innovations and solutions. Now in its second edition, the launch event welcomed over 7,000 participants in 2016, hosted more than 150 exhibitors from 20 countries, and held 20 workshop sessions.

The National Construction Week, organised by the NCA, is backed by the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing & Urban Development. The event also enjoys the support of the Engineers Board of Kenya, the Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya, Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Green Building Society, Kenya Property Developers Association and many more high-level trade associations in the construction industry.