Building Code Review

General Achievements

Since its re-establishment in December 2005, the Ministry has initiated and accomplished projects/programmes/initiatives that include the following:

Established ten Appropriate Building technology (ABT) Centers countrywide and disseminated information on appropriate low-cost building materials and technologies and best practices. Particularly, we have identified land for the construction of ten training centres countrywide. Already, five of these centres are operational and equipped with hydraform machines for making building blocks; tile making machines and manual block presses. All the provincial housing officers have been trained on the use of these technologies. A number of classrooms, offices and health centres have been constructed using these technologies in both urban and rural areas.

Last year, the Housing Minister Hon Soita Shitanda launched a housing sub sector committee comprising of officers from the Ministry of Housing and Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA). This effort will enhance Public and Private sector partnerships. Currently the Ministry of Housing is in the process of developing Public-Private sector guidelines in order to enhance participation by the private sector in Low-Cost Housing. This is because the government has the necessary regulatory and facilitative tools and the private sector expertise, efficiency and resources.

Continued with the implementation of the National Housing Policy;
We have prepared a draft Housing Bill as recommended by the national policy.
We have prepared a report on housing sector incentives some of which have been included in the budget statement for the year 2007/08

Implemented the first phase of the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP) Implementation Strategy at Kibera, Kisumu and Mombasa. In Kibera, 600 housing units to be used for relocating families whose structures will pave way for upgrading are set for completion in December 2007. The construction of critical, social infrastructure and provision of services such as roads, water, sewerage system, electricity, sanitation, and garbage collection points has commenced in Kisumu and Mombasa.

Under the Civil Servants Housing Scheme, the Ministry is constructing houses for sale to Civil Servants in order to empower them to own homes;

Refurbished Government houses;
We have ensured maximum collection of rent from tenants of Government Houses/Buildings; and

We are effectively administering Cap 296 of the Laws of Kenya at the Rent Restriction Tribunal. The same Law is under review to make it relevant to the current trends in the market