Govt moves to cut red tape in building sector

Acting Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i. Government to give Architects and Quantity Surveyors board land to set up a one stop shop for pre-construction approvals. FILE PHOTO | DIANA NGILA |   NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• He said once BORAQS sets up a 15 storey building it will host the National Construction Authority, Institute of Engineers, Institute of Surveyors and Architectural Association of Kenya.
• The construction industry rose 13.1 per cent in 2014 compared to 5.8 per cent in 2015 according to the Economic Survey contributing significantly to the economy.
• He was speaking in Nairobi during the official launch of the BORAQS seminar where he said this should be rolled out in all the 47 counties.

By OTIATO GUGUYU
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The government will give the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) land to set up a one stop shop for pre-construction approvals.

Acting Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i says the ministry has earmarked two parcels of land at Upper Hill and along Thika road, one of which will host everyone involved in the construction process.

He said once BORAQS sets up a 15 storey building it will host the National Construction Authority, Institute of Engineers, Institute of Surveyors and Architectural Association of Kenya.

"We will give you land to build offices so that we can have all of you under one roof to reduce bureaucracy in the construction sector," Mr Matiang'i said.

He was speaking in Nairobi during the official launch of the BORAQS seminar where he said this should be rolled out in all the 47 counties.

NCA has been developing a blueprint strategy to cut bureaucracy and collapse building approval procedures.

NCA Board Chair Steve Oundo said in an earlier interview that fees charged by the National Environmental Management Authority NEMA, County governments and NCA should be collapsed together to reduce inefficiencies.

CS Matiang'i last week said once the charges are rationalised they will be reduced to boost the building sector.

The CS said the government was keen on exciting the private sector to build up the construction industry which contributed immensely to the economy last year.

ECONOMY

The construction industry rose 13.1 per cent in 2014 compared to 5.8 per cent in 2015 according to the Economic Survey contributing significantly to the economy.

KNBS noted an 11per cent increase in the participation in real estate and residential property in the first quarter this year compared to 7.6per cent in a similar period last year.

The industry has been boosted by residential apartments and real estate especially with an upsurge of high end office space that has been changing the landscape of Nairobi.

He also criticised governors for building 'grandiose buildings' without considering the resources available.

"People wonder the reasoning for building worth Sh440 million with a budget of Sh20 million every year, will it take over ten years to complete it," he said.

Mr Matyangi said he had met a Senate Special Committee to look at infrastructure in counties and would be meeting the council of governors to bring back sanity in the sector.

He said that it was wasteful to come up with so many expensive projects which will stall and called on the professionals to advise county governments to match their plans with the available resources.