By JOHN NGIRACHU. Daily Nation
Tuesday, September 1 2009
Local authorities could soon lose their power to authorise the construction of buildings if a new Bill is passed into law.The Bill proposes the setting up of a parastatal to take over the responsibility of approving building plans and supervising construction to ensure high standards are maintained.It comes in the wake of rising cases of buildings collapsing while under construction in various parts of the country, and stems from the perception that local authorities have failed in their supervisory role.
The ongoing review of the Building Code, described by industry players as archaic, outdated and open to different interpretation, will also result in the establishment of the National Planning and Building Authority.Stakeholders attending a meeting to finalise the new Bill yesterday said it was also aimed at ensuring professionalism in the industry.The Planning and Building Bill will lead to the repeal of the Physical Planning Act, Cap 286, and regulations contained in the Building Code.The process to revise the law comes 13 years after the collapse of a supermarket killed 16 people in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
“We recommended change and said worse events would be witnessed if nothing was done,” said Dr Reuben Mutiso, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi who chaired the commission set up to inquire the incident.
Local Government minister Musalia Mudavadi also decried the current situation, saying “we went to sleep when we could all read and tell that the laws were archaic”
In July, the acting director of planning at the City Council of Nairobi, Mr Tom Odongo, said City Hall had only 20 building inspectors for the whole of Nairobi.Ineptitude and inefficiency by professionals and the easy entry into the construction business by unqualified people was also cited as one of the negative factors.
“It is equal to a football match in which a kick from any direction could result in a goal. We have a country where we see the good, the bad and the ugly on the same street,” said Dr Mutiso.

i fully support it.local authorties are too corrupt.

My concern is implementation, if the Government can do it then why not.

I know parastatals are run better than they used to be under Moi but can one parastatal really monitor what goes on countrywide? Most likely they will employ the same inspectors, and if those inspectors are used to corrupt practices...it will be hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

The Bill will make mandatory amongst other things:
1.Registration of all Buildings.
2.Periodic Inspection of Buildings to ensure conformity
3. Occupation Permit(Certificate of Practical Completion)
4.Periodic inspections during construction.
5.Appointment of competent and registered professionals to oversee design and construction of the whole Building fabric.
Stiff penalties are proposed for non-compliance. The committee to review the by-laws is an initiative of the Prime Minister's office after intense pressure from professionals and the public after the pronounced mess in the Building industry. Besides creating order in the Built Environment professions where there has been constant shifting of blame, the proposed bill will spruce up jobs and ensure public safety and comfort. I do support.

The Bill will make mandatory amongst other things:
1.Registration of all Buildings.
2.Periodic Inspection of Buildings to ensure conformity
3. Occupation Permit(Certificate of Practical Completion)
4.Periodic inspections during construction.
5.Appointment of competent and registered professionals to oversee design and construction of the whole Building fabric.
Stiff penalties are proposed for non-compliance. The committee to review the by-laws is an initiative of the Prime Minister's office after intense pressure from professionals and the public after the pronounced mess in the Building industry. Besides creating order in the Built Environment professions where there has been constant shifting of blame, the proposed bill will spruce up jobs and ensure public safety and comfort. I do support.

I'm not an expert in this field but aren't those the same functions carried out by the local authorities?

Kenguy,
The problem has been that statute that regulate the Built Environment professions in Kenya has been scattered over 100 pieces of legislation.In addition,it has not been mandatory for many of the items mentioned above and penalties in case of non-conformity has been light.Since there hasn't been a central authority charged with enforcing standards in Buildings,enforcement has been lax. A Development Control Dept might abdicate its responsibility to the Public Health Dept or a Factory Inspector.Now all responsibility will rest with one authority.
Another issue has been no central control or ethical standards on the part of Building Contractors. The Planning & Building Act will reighn in all that

By Dennis Odunga Business Daily
Posted Tuesday, September 8 2009 at 00:00
Investors are staying away from many towns in Kenya due to poor planning, insecurity and lack of disaster management systems.Most have haphazard settlements, lack water and sewerage systems, and have no road or building naming system, which makes them unsuitable for modern businesses, a consultative meeting on urban development heard at the weekend.Consultants from Syagga & Associates and a team from the Local Government and Lands ministries said many towns disregard basic planning.The forum learnt that only 30 per cent of the towns have a proper business and living environment.Speaking in Eldoret Town, the experts said the haphazard settlements compromised security since there was no order on housing and business operations.The experts gathered to deliberate on ways of coming up with a structured development plan to guide the operations of town councils up to 2030 in line with the economic blueprint, Vision 2030.The project dubbed ‘Digital Mapping and Strategic Urban Development Plan for Eldoret town’ is co-ordinated by the Local Government ministry.Constituency representatives, matatu and bicycle operators and local opinion leaders attended.Other towns identified for the study are Othaya in Central Province, Mtwapa in Coast Province, Garissa in North Eastern Province and Bungoma in Western Province.
They said essential services like healthcare, water and disaster response would be difficult in a town without a development plan.The chief urban planner from the Ministry of Local government, Solomon Ambwere, who is the project manager, challenged Eldoret Municipal council to review its street naming and numbering.“Some roads have no names and this hampers disaster response as one cannot know where to move to incase of a tragedy like a fire,” said Mr Ambwere. A transport consultant, Mr Tom Opiyo, asked the Government to target private cars and not public service vehicles when decongesting major towns.“The private cars carry one person or two people whereas the matatus carry 14 passengers. What is the rationale of barring PSVs and allowing the private ones?” asked Mr Opiyo.

By Steve Mbogo and Emmanuel Were (email the author)
Posted Monday, September 7 2009 at 00:00
Private security firm, KK Security, has acquired a fire services company aiming to tap into the fire fighting business that has been growing with the collapse of State-backed service providers.
Last week’s acquisition of Knight Support makes KK the second private security firm to enter the fire fighting business that has been traditionally the preserve of public service providers, but is increasingly attracting private players looking for new revenue streams.
The deal, made public through a gazette notice, gives KK full control of Knight Support for an undisclosed amount of money and puts the company in direct competition with G4S, the British conglomerate, whose Kenyan subsidiary last year acquired Urban Fire Services.
KK Security’s entry into the fire fighting business is not only being seen as signalling the continued erosion of public confidence in State-backed providers, but also a determination by the security firms to grow their earnings by charging premium prices for bundled services that include manned security cash transfers and courier business.
“The acquisition enables us to enhance our services and diversify from reliance on traditional guarding services,” said Mr Patrick Grant, the managing director of KK Security, without disclosing the value of the deal that got the green light three weeks ago.
Industry players say the entry of security firms into the firefighting business is also informed by insurance industry trends where premiums for fire policies are pegged on proof of better protection arrangements.
“Some insurers are charging lower premiums for clients who show proof of being backed by a private fire firm,” said an insurance broker, who declined to be named because the policy has not been officially made public by the relevant firms.
Kenya’s private firefighting business is now estimated to be worth Sh5 billion, a large fraction of which is currently in the hands of G4S. Since the operation was launched early last year, fire fighting has become an important revenue stream for G4S which not only sells the service directly to corporate clients but also charges fees for backup services to competitors’ clients.
Increasing levels of fatality in fire accidents with the deterioration of service quality offered by public firms has forced business leaders to seek alternative means of protection from private security companies.
Private firms have responded to this need by rolling out a number of service packages that include guarding, escorts and firefighting to their clients.
The business is expected to double in the next two years as corporations, foreign missions and high net worth individuals turn to these firms to manage their fire risks.
Though more reliable compared to government-backed service providers, hiring of private security firms represents a new cost of doing business in key Kenyan cities such as Nairobi where fire outbreaks have become a regular phenomenon with fatalities in most cases.
The acquisition of Knight Support adds firefighting to the range of services that KK Security offers, including manned guarding, alarm systems and dog handling. In addition to firefighting, the Karen-based Knight Support offers fire audits and assessment and vends fire equipment.
It is not clear whether KK will extend the firefighting services to its subsidiaries in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo (DR), Burundi and Southern Sudan.
Daniel Okoth, the communications manager at G4S Kenya, said the entry of KK into firefighting is an indication of the growing interest in the business.
“Consumers stand to gain from the level of competition that is bound to ensue,” he said.
Knight Support’s Kenya operation had about 60 clients most of who are located in the upmarket Karen area. Consumers of the company’s services mostly bought a bouquet of services such as alarm response, security and evacuation that the company used to sweeten its fire fighting offer.
Private fire operators also offer fire awareness training, sale and maintenance of fire fighting equipment and rental fire engines, especially to event managers.
A three-hour fire awareness training session for 25 employees costs an estimated Sh25,000 making it one of the most highly priced services in the security industry. The training covers basic knowledge such as causes of fire, evacuation, immediate fire risk assessment, use of extinguishers and dealing with burns.
It costs between Sh25,000 and Sh40,000 to hire a fire engine for an eight-hour event, but companies can pay Sh30,000 per month for a rapid response in the event of a fire.
Industry operators say it costs more to call in private fire fighters in the event of a fire outbreak in premises for which they have not been retained to offer the service.
Retail chain Nakumatt, is for instance said to have been asked for Sh2 million down payment when a fire broke out at its downtown branch in Nairobi in January when it called in private operators.
When the building is not on an annual contract, the fire fighting firms assess the cost on site before asking the owners of the building or property to commit in writing that they will pay the amount whatever the outcome.
“We must work out how to make money with this new arm now that we are in the business,” said Mr Grant.
Rising corporate concerns over fire risks are mirrored by the year on year growth of industrial fire insurance business, whose premiums grew by 13.4 per cent in 2008 compared to the previous year.
The Association of Kenya Insurers data shows that premiums on domestic and industrial fire topped Sh4.3 billion or 11.7 per cent of the total insurance premiums that year and is expected to have grown by a similar margin last year.
Domestic fire premiums were Sh672,104 in 2008 a growth of 8.1 per cent compared to the previous year. Loss ratio for domestic fire was positive at 35.2 per cent while that of industrial fire was positive 51.1 per cent, indicating that the business made profits.
In addition to risk posed to people and investments, the insurance industry has been under increasing threat of fire accident claims, a move that has seen them urge their clients to sign up for private fire services to lower their risks and premium.
Since the Nakumatt fire in February this year, insurers are said to be insisting on their clients to show proof of having fire risk survey certificates on premises before they are covered.
The risk survey shows the level of fire safety compliance within premises, including the availability of fire fighting equipment and building structures with ease of escape in case of fire. Premises with high levels of compliance are given discounted premiums.
Vast opportunity
A survey done earlier in the year by the Nairobi Central Business District Association (NCBDA), however, found that only 10 per cent of premises in Nairobi are prepared to handle fire accidents.
Industry players say that situation has presented a vast opportunity for growth of the fire fighting business because most premises in Nairobi for instance are ill equipped to prevent fire accidents.
KK Secuirty and Knight Support have been working closely since June this year and the gazette notice was only a confirmation of the long running association, according to the letter sent by Knight Support official Lucy Nyambu.
Local authorities fire services have been the subject of criticism for inefficient service delivery, often arriving at the scene late, or when on time, without all the facilities required to contain fires.
They have more recently been overwhelmed by big fires and more often seek support from disciplined forces and some government agencies to fight fire.
The latest developments come at a time when security firms are reaping from increased investment in crime detection and protection services by businesses and community groups amid fears that job losses caused by the economic slowdown would spawn a new wave of petty, violent and organised crime.
The economic slowdown has come at a time when inflation pressures, fuelled by the increase in price of food, electricity and fuel have eroded the purchasing power of personal incomes.

^^mikey good work:dance::bow::applause:

Thanks DB,
This forum is great. Dont know why I didnt discover it earlier. Keeps the brain alert about real and emerging issues affecting us in our towns. Such a refreshment from the sloppy stuff in Facebook. No puns intended for FB fans.

Whats so expensive about putting up street name signs. Im sure most councils can afford that.

Thanks DB,
This forum is great. Dont know why I didnt discover it earlier. Keeps the brain alert about real and emerging issues affecting us in our towns. Such a refreshment from the sloppy stuff in Facebook. No puns intended for FB fans.

^^hahaha, for sure mike, if you visits the threads of other African countries you will be shocked, the development that is going on, in most part of the continent is mind boggling,:cheers:try to check it you will love it :)

If slum upgrading beneficiaries can be so passionately opposed to the upgrading,then where,pray are we headed? My consolotion is that these are a few hot-heads who want to cash-in on a noble program.

Kenya planners reject proposed regulator

Even before the Planning and Building Bill, 2009 is tabled in Parliament, planners have opposed the formation of a planning and building authority.

The Bill seeks to establish the National Planning and Building Authority as a corporate body with functions to enforce the provisions and regulations of the Bill.

Some of the authority’s roles include approving all building designs and plans, inspection of all building projects and keeping a register of buildings. This permits the authority to control all aspects of planning including the approval, submissions and rejection of physical development plans.

The Bill states: “Any person who intends to prepare physical development plans of any area, for purposes of construction shall apply to the authority.”

Also no person “shall prepare or cause to be prepared” plans for buildings or associated works for submission to the authority unless physical development plans have been approved.

The Kenya Institute of Planners chair, Johnstone Kiamba, said that the application of building regulations was to be implemented through the local authorities through the adoptive by-laws and this scenario has not changed up to now.

“Therefore we as planners are really concerned when the shift in application is being taken from local authorities to another agency which is not anchored on local authorities,” he told Sunday Business.

“The creation of the national agency negates the principle of devolution and decentralisation of power to the local institutions.”

Prof Kiamba said that the collapse of buildings which is the basis for the formation of the authority, does not occur because there are no laws but because the implementation capacity is weak.

“Planners do believe that other than creating new agencies what is required at this time is strengthening of the local authorities to be able to implement the laws,” he said.

The origin of the proposed agency of the new proposed laws and formation of a new implementing agency could be traced to the collapse of the Sunbeam Building in 1996. This led to the formation of the Mutiso Commission on Collapsed Buildings.

“On this particular building, it was in the public domain that the building was old and not well maintained and that is what contributed to the structural failure of the building,” Prof Kiamba said.

The building code and regulations is a conglomeration of various statutes which were in operation at that time and more recently the Physical Planning Act and Environmental Management and Coordination Act.

Prof Kiamba said what should be done is to look into the various laws and see how they can contribute to a new set of building regulations for adoption by the local authorities. “This does not call for creation of a new national agency which as far as we planners are concerned is a waste of public funds and a step in the wrong direction,” he said.

He said that the role of enforcing building regulations is the mandate of the local authorities all over the world.
“KIP [Kenya Institute of Planners] has been advocating for formation of planning departments in all 175 local authorities to enhance planning capacity in all the local authorities,” Prof Kiamba said.

It is only Nairobi which has a fully-fledged planning department, although it is understaffed with 15 planners compared to the required 60 planners.

According the review committee formed by the government to evaluate the building code governing the building and construction industry, the code is inadequate and outdated. It thus lacks effective and objective controls and enforcement mechanisms thereby occasioning major impediments to housing and building delivery.

These lapses in legal framework and enforcement mechanisms have resulted in continued development and existence of sub–standard buildings.

Impediment

The current Building Code and bylaws have been an impediment to delivery of housing and a redundant to the entire building and construction sector, the review committee says.

The committee says that the current building code lays unnecessary emphasis on materials ignoring performance. “There is need to encapsulate performance in the code so as to capture the spirit of changing technology and space in building and construction sector,” it says in its report.

The review committee says some crucial clauses are missing in the current Code. These are the policy on the energy sector to incorporate a solar water heating system in buildings and an anti-termite policy among others.

If new building and planning regime is not urgently enacted, the committees says the country would continue to witness increased costly, unsafe, and dangerous building collapsing with fatal consequences and negative impact on the economy. “Further unplanned and incompatible land uses will result, if no attention is given to the above recommendations,” it adds.

Kenya planners reject proposed regulator



The Kenya Institute of Planners chair, Johnstone Kiamba, said that the application of building regulations was to be implemented through the local authorities through the adoptive by-laws and this scenario has not changed up to now.

“Therefore we as planners are really concerned when the shift in application is being taken from local authorities to another agency which is not anchored on local authorities,” he told Sunday Business.

“The creation of the national agency negates the principle of devolution and decentralisation of power to the local institutions.”

Prof Kiamba said that the collapse of buildings which is the basis for the formation of the authority, does not occur because there are no laws but because the implementation capacity is weak.

“Planners do believe that other than creating new agencies what is required at this time is strengthening of the local authorities to be able to implement the laws,” he said.

The origin of the proposed agency of the new proposed laws and formation of a new implementing agency could be traced to the collapse of the Sunbeam Building in 1996. This led to the formation of the Mutiso Commission on Collapsed Buildings.

“On this particular building, it was in the public domain that the building was old and not well maintained and that is what contributed to the structural failure of the building,” Prof Kiamba said.

The building code and regulations is a conglomeration of various statutes which were in operation at that time and more recently the Physical Planning Act and Environmental Management and Coordination Act.

Prof Kiamba said what should be done is to look into the various laws and see how they can contribute to a new set of building regulations for adoption by the local authorities. “This does not call for creation of a new national agency which as far as we planners are concerned is a waste of public funds and a step in the wrong direction,” he said.

He said that the role of enforcing building regulations is the mandate of the local authorities all over the world.
“KIP [Kenya Institute of Planners] has been advocating for formation of planning departments in all 175 local authorities to enhance planning capacity in all the local authorities,” Prof Kiamba said.

It is only Nairobi which has a fully-fledged planning department, although it is understaffed with 15 planners compared to the required 60 planners.

According the review committee formed by the government to evaluate the building code governing the building and construction industry, the code is inadequate and outdated. It thus lacks effective and objective controls and enforcement mechanisms thereby occasioning major impediments to housing and building delivery.

These lapses in legal framework and enforcement mechanisms have resulted in continued development and existence of sub–standard buildings.

Impediment

The current Building Code and bylaws have been an impediment to delivery of housing and a redundant to the entire building and construction sector, the review committee says.

The committee says that the current building code lays unnecessary emphasis on materials ignoring performance. “There is need to encapsulate performance in the code so as to capture the spirit of changing technology and space in building and construction sector,” it says in its report.

The review committee says some crucial clauses are missing in the current Code. These are the policy on the energy sector to incorporate a solar water heating system in buildings and an anti-termite policy among others.

If new building and planning regime is not urgently enacted, the committees says the country would continue to witness increased costly, unsafe, and dangerous building collapsing with fatal consequences and negative impact on the economy. “Further unplanned and incompatible land uses will result, if no attention is given to the above recommendations,” it adds.

Formation of the Committee on the Review of the Building is as a result of protracted efforts by professionals in the Building Industry to put some order in the existing quagmire. The committee,appointed by the Prime Minister and facilitated by the Ministry of Housing, is an all inclusive entity which welcomes views from all stakeholders in the Industry.It has already held a Stakeholders Seminar at the Kenya school of Monetary Studies,with keynote addresses from the Ministries of Local Government,Housing, the Architectural association of Kenya, the Institute of Surveyors of Kenya,Contractors etc.
The Kenya Institute of Planners is just one of the many stakeholders whose views need to be presented appropriately,then evaluated for merit. The Building industry cannot be held at ransom by the Kenya Institute Planners whose attempt to hijack stewardship of the Building Team through the faulty Physical Planners Act of 1997 has come acropper. Any student of the Building process will tell you that the Building Team Leader is the Architect. The Architectural Association of Kenya has had representation in the drafting and formulation of the proposed Planning & Building Bill and in fact,the committee has drawn major input from Dr.Reuben G.Mutiso,a respected Architect and a fellow of the AAK(who incidentally lead the task force on the Sunbeam Tragedy Inquiry-which report was shelved by the then Government). A personal opinion expressed by way of a phone call to a newspaper column is hardly the way to formulate crucial policy. In this day and age, Kenyans need to learn to shelve selfish interest for the bigger national good.

Formation of the Committee on the Review of the Building is as a result of protracted efforts by professionals in the Building Industry to put some order in the existing quagmire. The committee,appointed by the Prime Minister and facilitated by the Ministry of Housing, is an all inclusive entity which welcomes views from all stakeholders in the Industry.It has already held a Stakeholders Seminar at the Kenya school of Monetary Studies,with keynote addresses from the Ministries of Local Government,Housing, the Architectural association of Kenya, the Institute of Surveyors of Kenya,Contractors etc.
The Kenya Institute of Planners is just one of the many stakeholders whose views need to be presented appropriately,then evaluated for merit. The Building industry cannot be held at ransom by the Kenya Institute Planners whose attempt to hijack stewardship of the Building Team through the faulty Physical Planners Act of 1997 has come acropper. Any student of the Building process will tell you that the Building Team Leader is the Architect. The Architectural Association of Kenya has had representation in the drafting and formulation of the proposed Planning & Building Bill and in fact,the committee has drawn major input from Dr.Reuben G.Mutiso,a respected Architect and a fellow of the AAK(who incidentally lead the task force on the Sunbeam Tragedy Inquiry-which report was shelved by the then Government). A personal opinion expressed by way of a phone call to a newspaper column is hardly the way to formulate crucial policy. In this day and age, Kenyans need to learn to shelve selfish interest for the bigger national good.

^^this will be possible only when we stop electing politicians and start electing managers.:cheers:otherwise excellent response

Thanks DB.

What if your house could think? Enter the Smart home

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/662648/highRes/103354/-/maxw/600/-/k3n9lnz/-/house-model.jpg Developers will spend more at the initial stages, but the payback in the long-tem will be substantial
(email the author (javascript:void(0);))



Posted Thursday, September 24 2009 at 00:00

Imagine walking into your home and immediately you step in, the lights and the air conditioning system turn on automatically. It may sound far-fetched, but the Kenyan home of the future will be fitted with devices that will make it ‘intelligent’.

Intelligent buildings, which are houses fitted with information technology systems to perform tasks like regulating the lighting, air conditioning and security systems, are gaining prominence across the world because they reduce the costs of running a building and integration with ICT enable occupants to increase the speed of doing business.

A new partnership between Telkom Kenya and Architectural Association of Kenya could make the smart home a reality in Kenya.

Related Downloads


Digital Business (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/blob/view/-/662646/data/103355/-/gbnwgr/-/digi-24-0909.pdf)


The surprising news is — they could be cheaper to build than their conventional counterparts.

The construction of such building from the planning stage will save the developer up to 25 per cent of the costs associated with installing similar systems when the building is already complete said Steve Oundo, the chairman of the Architectural Association of Kenya.

“Developers will spend more at the initial stages because of investing in the equipment. But the pay back in the long-term will be substantial,” he said.

Smart homes are also cheaper to run. Research by Dimension Data, an IT company found that deploying an integrated building approach results in 30 per cent operational costs reduction.

A building that for instance is fitted with windows which act as solar panels will save substantial power costs. Others which switch on lights automatically when they detect movement enable power cost savings because the lights are only used on a need to basis.

An intelligent building will enable a property manager sitting at home to use his personal computer to tell whether the temperature is appropriate on any of the floors. Using the same system, a security guard stationed 1,000 kilometres away can detect an intruder who has broken into an office building.

“Almost all of the new buildings in Upper Hill are embracing this concept, which is widely used in South Africa and United States,” said Mr Oundo.

Telkom Kenya’s head of Enterprise Sales Evans Nyagah, said that architects will open new opportunities for building owners by adopting the concept of intelligent buildings, which offers new services to generate more revenue and cut costs in the real estate industry.

“With the recent advancement of technology and development of the Internet, both government and private enterprises are increasingly seeking for ways to harness the full potential of the Internet in homes, office premises and public buildings. It is turning them into ICT hotspots,” said Mr Nyagah.

Architectural Association of Kenya said intelligent buildings is a concept whose purpose is mainly to control, monitor and optimise building services such as lighting, heating and security and alarm systems.

In the new partnership, Telkom Kenya will provide ICT solutions that will be incorporated in building designs for the purpose of enhancing sustainable real estate development and satisfying tenant demands.

Much like people, the intelligence of a house can vary. At its simplest, the technology can allow a home owner to control lighting systems or air conditioning.

Related Downloads


Digital Business (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/blob/view/-/662646/data/103355/-/gbnwgr/-/digi-24-0909.pdf)


In more complex applications, houses feature equipment that allow interconnection with schools, hospitals and airports, enabling occupants to seek such services from the comfort of their houses.

The need to invest in security personnel is also reduced because an integrated security system through the visible and hidden security cameras is built into the building.

Mr Nyagah said more intelligent homes are cropping up all over the world.

A recent study by Frost & Sullivan examined some of the issues that are affecting the growth of the intelligent home market, and found that the budding industry is being held back by conservative views among construction firms and other stakeholders.

An intelligent building, through reduced energy consumption, leads to additional cost savings. Analysts said consumption costs became minimized by effectively managing the temperature and lighting of unoccupied spaces.

Proper zone controls, using a schedule based on the time of the day, will reduce energy costs. This, in turn, leads to greater energy savings and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite all this, lack of public awareness and knowledge remains a critical restraint for the growth of the North American intelligent buildings market.

Analysts said most customers believe that integrating subsystems in a building involves huge investments. This problem, in many cases, makes builders reluctant to secure the heavy initial investment.



http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/662642/-/item/1/-/1uao6bz/-/index.html

^^surely technology will be shaping how we will live this world amazing though i am conservative when it comes to embracing technology. (resistant to change in the management circles):)

(http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/662642/-/item/0/-/1uao6cz/-/index.html)

Formation of the Committee on the Review of the Building is as a result of protracted efforts by professionals in the Building Industry to put some order in the existing quagmire. The committee,appointed by the Prime Minister and facilitated by the Ministry of Housing, is an all inclusive entity which welcomes views from all stakeholders in the Industry.It has already held a Stakeholders Seminar at the Kenya school of Monetary Studies,with keynote addresses from the Ministries of Local Government,Housing, the Architectural association of Kenya, the Institute of Surveyors of Kenya,Contractors etc.
The Kenya Institute of Planners is just one of the many stakeholders whose views need to be presented appropriately,then evaluated for merit. The Building industry cannot be held at ransom by the Kenya Institute Planners whose attempt to hijack stewardship of the Building Team through the faulty Physical Planners Act of 1997 has come acropper. Any student of the Building process will tell you that the Building Team Leader is the Architect. The Architectural Association of Kenya has had representation in the drafting and formulation of the proposed Planning & Building Bill and in fact,the committee has drawn major input from Dr.Reuben G.Mutiso,a respected Architect and a fellow of the AAK(who incidentally lead the task force on the Sunbeam Tragedy Inquiry-which report was shelved by the then Government). A personal opinion expressed by way of a phone call to a newspaper column is hardly the way to formulate crucial policy. In this day and age, Kenyans need to learn to shelve selfish interest for the bigger national good.
This was published in the Ops/Ed page of the Daily Nation on 22nd September,2009:http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Letters...u/-/index.html.
Housing Minister,Hon.Soita Shitanda on 30th September,2009.
http://www.eastandard.net/news/InsidePage.php?id=1144025281&cid=159&

Shitanda says new housing code on the way

01/10/2009

By Ramadhan Rajab
The Government says a new housing code is ready.
The draft Building code envisages creation of a building and planning authority to manage the sector.
It will be forwarded to the Prime Minister’s office by next week.
"As it is now, achieving order and sanity in the sector is difficult because of scattered efforts. We have more than 106 statutes in our laws. That’s why we need this legislation to harmonise activities in the sector," Housing Minister Soita Shitanda told The Standard.
"It seeks to address professionalism by knocking quacks out and harmonising efforts to improve quality as well make monitoring easy," he said.
The minister said the housing code would not sideline any professional body.
Mr Shitanda said apart from enhancing professionalism in the industry, the code would give guidelines on how buildings can be disability friendly.
Mass housing
He said the revised building code seeks to revamp and streamline rules to allow use of technologies for mass housing construction, which would address the current biting housing shortage.
"Laxity of local authorities to enforce and implement housing rules has been blamed on lack of professionals, but this regulation has a mechanism that will allow them access professionals across respective towns," he added.
Shitanda said the draft planning and building regulations would give owners of houses not disability friendly time to comply.
The minister spoke ahead of Monday’s World Habitat Day celebrations to be held in Mombasa.

By Mwaura Kimani -Business Daily
Posted Friday, October 2 2009 at 00:00
Kenya’s employers will have a new cost item in their books next year as the government moves to give teeth to the employee safety law that Parliament passed last year.
The employers will pay a Sh3,000 levy annually to the Occupational Safety and Health Fund meant to reduce injuries and death at the work place, a taskforce set up by the Ministry of Labour has recommended.
More than 150,000 workplaces have been identified as qualified to pay the levy, offering the fund a revenue base of Sh450 million annually.
All employers will be required to pay the levy irrespective of their size, according to a report prepared by the taskforce and presented to Labour minister John Munyes on Tuesday.
The levy has a strong backing from trade unions, who argue that recent workplace disasters require a strong regulation and safety inspection to avoid injuries and loss of lives. Employers are, however, strongly opposed to it, citing its possible impact on the cost of doing business and the failure of similar levies to make an impact on employee welfare.
The fund is provided for under the Occupational Health and Safety Act that came into effect late last year.
“It will secure the development and coordination of a sound and effective occupational safety and health system for the prevention of accidents and diseases, ill-heath and damage to property at the work place,” the law says of the fund.
Analysts said that while large companies will easily absorb this additional cost, it might come as extra burden for smaller businesses with thin profit margins.
The taskforce says that difficulties with chasing informal business operators means much of the burden will be borne by big business with established workplaces. This is despite the fact past studies have shown that small businesses are more prone to industrial disasters than their corporate counterparts.
Many informal sector players were further found not to have registered their workplaces with the Directorate of Occupation Safety and Health Services (DOSHS), as required by law.
It had initially been proposed that the levy be charged on a graduated scale based on the number of workers but that option was rejected by the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), who raised concerns over the overall cost burden.
Earlier, the taskforce had proposed that the new levy be modelled on the Sh600 Industrial Training Levy paid to the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) for each employee annually a decision that would have seen large companies part with hundreds of thousands of shillings to comply.
Pius Makhonge, the acting director at the DOSHS who was chairing the task force said the levy could be revised upwards soon, once the Fund became operational.
“We settled on this figure just for a start, later we would be pushing for a more representative levying criteria such as the graduated scale,” said Mr Makhonge in an interview. “The intention is to have enough resources to push the workplace safety agenda through all sectors of the economy.”
The proposal comes at a time when DOSHS is set to begin the construction of a research and training institute. Last week, it invited tenders for the Sh250 million building whose first phase was allocated Sh70 million in the current financial year.
Analysts reckon the charge — which is meant to help improve the safety of millions of workers countrywide — could further increase the cost of doing business in the country, as employers will be forced to revise their budgets upwards to accommodate the levy.
They warned that introducing the levy at a time when the business environment is in turmoil will increase the cost of doing business and further weaken an economy that is feeling the pinch of the global financial crisis.
“The Government could end up pushing too many levies towards employers yet the effectiveness of such is not been felt, “says Joseph Sikueya, the zone Human resource manager at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
“At this time, any additional cost of doing business is worrisome.”
A dim economic outlook which is fast eroding business leaders’ confidence in the economy’s ability to post strong corporate earnings has seen employers opt for layoffs and freezing hiring to slash costs as consumption declines in the face of high inflation and sluggish economic growth.
The proposed levy is facing opposition from employers - who were represented in the taskforce by FKE. The employers insist they are already paying too much in levies and taxes to the Government to be burned with additional levies.
The employers say their opposition to the levy is informed by the fact that government’s track record in dealing with such funds is lacklustre.
They give the example of the Training Levy has been ineffective, raising fears that the proposed one will face a similar fate.
“There must be enough conviction as to why employers should pay this levy based on return, which should come through improved inspections and training,” said Mr Sikueya.
But proponents of the levy led by the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu), the workers lobby argues that this would be a small price to pay for industrial harmony.
“This will come at an extra expense for the employers but it is a worthy cost,” said Isaiah Kubai, General Secretary of the Banking and Insurance Federation of Kenya.
“In the long-term, if the workplace is safe and employees are trained on safety, this will save employers of millions of shillings they incur in dealing with disasters when they hit.”
Any efforts at improving health and safety at the workplace would be good news for workers however, especially coming at a time when labour experts and unionists are warning that, the workplace remains a dangerous place, pointing out that Kenya labour market was sitting on a time bomb.
The fund will help establish a sound occupational safety environment in the wake of work place disasters that have caused hundreds of deaths over the past two years.
The latest was the Nakumatt Downtown fire in February in which more than 30 people died, activating debate on the subject of safety and compensation of workers.
Staff budgets
In September 2007, 10 workers of Devki Steel Mills in Athi River township were killed in an early morning explosion. The introduction of the levy is among the radical shifts that Kenya’s labour market is undergoing following the enactment of five new work-related laws which have sent many employers back to the drawing board for new work policies some of which are causing turbulence in the labour market.
Human resource departments in most companies have for the last few months been revising their employment policies to factor in the new provisions in what is forcing adjustment of staff budgets in only one direction —up.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/668618/-/unhxao/-/index.html
The proposed Planning and Building Bill will eliminate such costly errors.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/668618/-/unhxao/-/index.html
The proposed Planning and Building Bill will eliminate such costly errors.

I feel sorry for those peple who will lose property,but the road has to be built.Hopefully with the new bill, such mistakes will not arise.

By MAZERA NDURYA-Daily nation
Posted Monday, October 5 2009 at 17:18
The ministry of housing is in the process of establishing a planning and building authority to regulate all infrastructure development in the country to address critical issues in urban development.
Minister Soita Shitanda said a bill to fast track the process has already been crafted to come up with a new law that will bring together all professionals in the built environment under the same regulation making it easier to coordinate the activities.
“The bill proposes that the authority be in charge of coordination planning services including the preparation of national, regional and local physical development plans.
“It will also oversee the implementation of the plans in collaboration with local authorities and other agencies to harmonise planning services in the country,’ he said.
Mr Shitanda was speaking at Ziwa la Ng’ombe in Kisauni, Mombasa, during the national celebrations of World Habitat day.
He said the new law follows the need to streamline urban development to promote safe, planned, attractive and inclusive built environment which means that all actors in projects will know what is expected at all stages.
This, the minister said will reduce the time between submission and approval noting that streamlined and transparent design drawings and building plans will reduce corruption.
“The new law requires that only qualified persons should be engaged in the construction process and introduces penalties for quacks engaging in the construction industry.
“This will ensure that developers get value for their money and a reduction of their costs,” Mr Shitanda said.
He however took issue with the local authorities in the country for frustrating efforts to instil discipline in urban developing by approving plans that did not conform to the laid down regulations.
Mr Shitanda cited the proposed development at Ziwa La Ng’ombe, which is a public utility and sought clarification from the Mombasa Municipal Council whether the plans for the development have been approved by the council.
The matter was raised by Kisauni MP Hassan Joho who wanted the ministry of housing to intervene in the matter saying a private developer had started putting a perimeter fence on the ground that is being used for public activities.
But before the minister could respond to the request by the MP youths went wild and started pulling down the beacons that the developer had put up around the area.
Defending the council, Mombasa Mayor Ahmed Mohdhar said the council had rejected the plans for the development of the area and described the construction as illegal.
Assistant minister Margaret Wanjiru said the government had embarked on a war to end grabbing of land meant for public utility and directed that the perimeter wall being constructed be pulled down.

Hi Guys,
I was on safari in Western Kenya and had kind of my hands full. It however buffles me that there is isn't even a whisper on this pages about yesterday's Kiambu Building collapse and tragedy!

Found an article on it. I guess I had missed the news when it happened (I have been on the road again). Though I think we will just mourn over the tragedy and things will go on as they always have.

Build on lessons from past collapses

The standard.
19/10/09.

The collapse of a building under construction in Kiambu on Monday has revived concerns about local authorities’ capacity to supervise the industry, and about national disaster preparedness. Six lives, possibly more, were lost and more than a dozen people injured.

We applaud the heroic efforts of Red Cross volunteers, ordinary wananchi, and officers from fire brigades and the uniformed forces. At least a dozen of the people rescued owe these first responders a debt of gratitude. That said, the chaotic start to rescue operations, with crowds swarming the site and little co-ordination, was a sign of poor preparedness.

From the look of things, little has been learned from past incidents either in measures to prevent such collapses or in crisis responses. There is an urgent need to take steps, as has been done in regard to responding to highway accidents, to have a working app-roach to basic rescue services. In the long run, however, it is wiser to ramp up preventive measures by improving the capacity of key local authorities to supervise the construction industry.

With the economy feeling the pain of a global downturn, construction is one of the few industries reporting robust growth — a healthy eight per cent as the rest averaged 1.7 per cent in real GDP growth. High demand for labour in an industry whose experts recently conceded ‘quacks’ outnumer licensed professionals three to one, means danger is never far away.

This makes the need for a more robust system of approving, supervising and inspecting buildings under construction.

The 2006 collapse of the ‘Kihonge’ building and the fire tragedy at Nakumatt Downtown early this year revealed weaknesses in the Nairobi City Council’s licensing and inspection regimes. While there were changes in response to criticism in 2006, there is still room for improvement.

An inclusion of satellite towns that fall under the proposed metropolitan area should be next.

There may also be cause to rethink the faster 30-day approvals adopted to make doing business easier.

Forcing the municipal development, city planning, road, fire, water, public health and electricity authorities to issue approvals for consideration by a technical committee to overly tight deadlines may mean building permits are issued with little oversight. It could lead to cursory inspections or, worse, approvals without any scrutiny by officials eager to meet rapid result targets.

Modest measures

Given the massive scale of the task, supervision of ongoing construction may need a fresh approach: Private sector associations should be corralled into helping inspect the work done by various contractors. After all, licensing is done on the assumption architectural plans will be followed. In a large number of cases, contractors cutting corners with unapproved alterations or substandard materials are responsible for the failure of structures.

When it comes to dealing with such disasters after the fact, most of the measures we need to take are modest. We cannot afford the sort of disaster response resources other country’s devote to cave in situations. After all, the disasters we are more likely to face — and should spend money preparing for — are natural phenomena like flooding and mudslides.

If we deploy basic equipment and trained personnel (even volunteers as some countries do) to fire stations, we should manage all collapses but large ones which require appeals for foreign help.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/regional/-/1070/837498/-/8oawte/-/index.html

A recent article in Haiti’s Le Matin newspaper has quoted 65 year old geologist and former professor at the Geological Institute of Havana, Patrick Charles, as stating that “conditions are ripe for major seismic activity in Port-au-Prince. The inhabitants of the Haitian capital need to prepare themselves for an event which will inevitably occur...” According to him, the danger is imminent. He ads “Thank God that science has provided instruments that help predict these types of events and show how we have arrived at these conclusions.”

According to Patrick Charles, Port-au-Prince is traversed by a large fault which is part of the Enriquillo Fault Zone. The fault starts in Petionville and follows the Southern Peninsula ending at Tiburon. In 1751 and 1771, this town was completely destroyed by an earthquake. As proof to his claims, he referred to recent tremors that have occurred in Petionville, Delmas, Croix des Bouquets, and La Plaine. Minor tremors such as these usually signal a larger earthquake to come.

Haiti is no stranger to large quakes with the destruction of Palais Sans Souci near the Citadelle in 1842. It has also been 200 years since any major seismic activity has occurred in Port-au-Prince. This means that the level of built up stress and energy in the earth could one day be released resulting in an earthquake measuring 7.2 or more on the Richter Scale. This would be an event of catastrophic proportions in a city with loose building codes, and an abundance of shanty-towns built in ravines and other undesirable locations. Even the super-rich may not be immune as many own homes with great views, but precariously perched on the mountainsides above Petionville, on ground which is also susceptible to landslides.

Although city officials often discuss this, it is noted that no measures have been put into place to address the situation. Mr. Charles mentions the following devastating scenarios: A giant tsunami reaching all the way to Lake Azuéi (aka Étang Saumâtre) flooding La Plaine, and the complete destruction of Morne l’Hopital which is currently dotted with flimsy shantytowns. If we thought the recent back-to-back hurricanes were devastating, they surely will pale in comparison to a major earthquake in the densely populated Haitian capital.

Just makes me shiver considering most of Kenya's cities and major towns are built on earthquake prone regions. Nairobi is just minutes from the faultlines of the great rift valley, Mombasa has some fault line near the island, Nakuru is the worst with very close proximity to faultlines and a volcano (Menengai crater) making it a law not to build anything beyond 10 floors. I dont need to stress about all other urban areas in the Rift like Eldoret.

Someone told me that much of Nairobi was built on a swamp. During the early years, the colonialists drained it and planted plenty of eucalyptus trees to take up the excess water. If an earthquake was to happen very near Nairobi, the loose soil Nairobi is built on would amplify the seismic waves resulting in more destruction.This is one of the reasons that Nairobi residents feel tremors with their epicenters in places as far away as Tanzania.

Some former wetlands in Nairobi like Githurai would undergo liquefaction resulting in many flats in such areas sinking into the quaking ground. The CBD would not be spared given the way we build our towers close together. They do not have room to sway. Look at the western corner of the CBD where the anniversary towers are located. That cluster of towers would literally bash into each other. Im not going to mention what Eastlands would look like.

Then again, our urban planners are still sleeping on the job.

Hi......,

I fell sorry for those people those who have lost their property.