The National Construction of Authority (NCA) will now use drones to spy on rogue contractors who fail to follow the set construction guidelines.
The authority will deploy drones in different parts of the country to monitor the ongoing daily constructions.
The drones will also be deployed to do site mapping to bolster the authority's capacity to ensure efficiency in the construction sector.
According to the authority, the adoption of technology will support its efforts to weed out quarks and put an end to shoddy works in the local construction industry, which has remained unregulated since 1986 when Parliament disbanded the National Construction Corporation.
The adoption of the new technology follows a series of disasters experienced in different parts of the country where buildings have collapsed exposing the gaps in regulations.
The most affected part is Kiambu county which has recorded more than five cases of buildings collapse in the last three months.
Speaking during a meeting with the Editors Guild on Friday, June 18, NCA noted that the use of drones and other technologies will help address challenges experienced in the sector including staff shortage.
According to NCA, the use of ICT systems will come in handy with the services being offered at the different Huduma Center desks across the country.
"On the issue of staffing, we are not able to be in every county. We have utilized ICT hence all services we provide have been automated. There are desks at Huduma Centers for the public to make inquiries," NCA explained.
Other than the use of technology, NCA Executive Director, Maurice Aketch, disclosed to journalists that there are published laws that stipulate punishments imposed on constructors found culpable of violating building rules.
"If there is malpractice by construction workers and contractors, there is an act put in place to take action on them."
Aketch further explained that the use of technology will help media houses disseminate correct information in case of a disaster such as collapse of buildings.
NCA is tasked with the registration of constructors, project registration, accreditation of workers, and research on proper construction practices.
Accreditation and certification of contractors, skilled construction workers, and construction site supervisors are some of the roles of the National Construction Authority.
Accreditation helps to ensure that every individual working in a construction site has the necessary skills to undertake the respective trade.
