The construction industry is a focal point for the economic growth of any country.   According to the Economic Survey 2017 Report, it is estimated that the industry expanded by about 9.2 per cent in 2016 and recorded increased activity in the construction of roads and development of housing.   The expansion reflected an increase in employment in the construction sector from 148,600 jobs in 2015 to 163,000 in.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 11th September 2017

 Players in the building and construction industry must register with a new professional body before they can be allowed to practice in Kenya. The experts, who also include project managers, must register with the Association of Construction Managers of Kenya (ACMK) before they undertake any construction work in Kenya. ACMK says Construction Project Managers & Construction Managers Bill 2017 will deal with malpractices that have.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 11th September 2017

 The mighty peaks of Kilimanjaro and Kenya are the highest points in Africa, towering over the East Coast nations.   The mountains will soon be sharing a skyline with a man-made behemoth named simply: “The Pinnacle.”   Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta recently laid the foundation stone for what will be the tallest building in Africa in the Upper Hill neighborhood of Nairobi. Construction is underway at the.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 11th September 2017

 Kenya's first high-speed expressway connecting the country's two largest cities will take six years to finish, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has said.   According to the State agency, design and construction of the 473-kilometre Mombasa-Nairobi road is set to begin after last week’s signing of a financing deal with US-based firm Bechtel International Inc.   “The project will be supported with.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 11th September 2017

 In early July the government contracted Italian construction firm ICM to build roads, water and sewerage systems for the $14.5bn smart city project, which is under way 60 km south of Nairobi.   The KSh40bn ($390m) deal covers engineering, procurement, construction and financing. Work has already begun on the sewer system and access road, as well as internet, power and water infrastructure, according to Victor Kyalo, principal.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 11th September 2017

 A number of building collapses have hit Kenya’s capital Nairobi in recent years, and Moses Nyakiongora, Secretary of the National Buildings Inspectorate (NBI), said the law will ensure stricter enforcement of building codes.   "The law is necessary because an audit of buildings in the country has revealed that up to 50 percent are not completely safe for human occupation," Nyakiongora told a media.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 11th September 2017

 Gaitheri Secondary School in central Kenya’s Murang'a County has had one of its iron-sheet roofs covered in solar generating tiles known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).   Designed to be laid on roofs during construction, the tiles offer an alternative to adding solar panels on top to produce power.   They were made by Kenyan firm Strauss Energy and paid for with a grant from the United States African.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 11th September 2017

 Construction has begun on a 70-floor ultramodern twin tower building in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.   On completion, the 300-meter-tall skyscraper, known as the “Pinnacle,” will become Africa’s tallest building, beating the current holder, the 223-meter-tall Carlton Center in Johannesburg.   The $200 million project is being financed by Dubai-based private investor firm Hass Petroleum and White Lotus.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 Bechtel has won a major project to build and important highway link in Kenya. This will be the first long stretch of high-speed expressway in Kenya and will connect the capital, Nairobi, with the country’s main port, Mombasa. The project for the 473km connection is being supported with financing from US and UK sources. Once the new route is open to traffic, journeys between Nairobi will take just four hours by road, instead of 10 at.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 Beer maker EABL #ticker:EABL has broken ground on its planned Sh15 billion brewery in Kisumu, signalling good tidings for thousands of farmers who will be contracted to supply raw materials.   The brewer, whose ground-breaking was officiated yesterday by President Uhuru Kenyatta, is projected to handle up to a quarter of the output by Kenya Breweries.   “The plant should be up and running in 18 months. We are hoping.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 The World Bank is set to fund the construction of a Sh2.9 billion complex in Nairobi that will house Kenya’s road institutions and the National Construction Authority. China’s firm, Avic has already won the project’s tender.   The project, being overseen by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), will see the setting up of four office blocks covering 35,000 square metres, a 500-seater auditorium and a.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 In a bid to tame rogue contractors and ensure accountability in the construction sector, a bill has been introduced in Parliament to ensure that each construction project has a professional manager. The bill introduced in Parliament in March seeks to have Kenya follow in the footsteps of South Africa, which is the only country in Africa with such an arrangement where the manager oversees the process of construction.The bill will await the.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017