The Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) commenced talks with financial institutions in a bid to introduce strict regulations in the mortgage industry across the country.
Speaking during a roundtable meeting on Thursday, January 11, the board's chairperson, Erastus Mwongera revealed that they were seeking to introduce various building requirements to be checked before a loan is approved.
Some of the requirements being advocated for included approved building plans.
Additionally, he stated that property developers would be required to provide details of the various qualified personnel to be involved during the construction process.
Mwongera explained that the move was necessary because the country had witnessed rising cases of collapsed buildings that in turn claimed Kenyan lives
Further, he also noted that many people were losing a lot of money in such investments where products are not delivered yet clients have loans to fulfill.
"In addition to looking at the land security and all that, let them also look at what is being developed and where it is designed by professional engineers and is certified and stamped.
"We are working on a document that will contain the design document, quantities, and description of works that need to be used," he stated.
The chairperson also explained that the move would rid the industry of rogue engineers who were offering their services to innocent Kenyans.
However, he did not indicate when an agreement between the two bodies would be made before being rolled out officially.
The collapse of buildings especially within Nairobi and the satellite towns has been blamed on poor workmanship and the involvement of unqualified professionals in the construction industry.
According to a preliminary report by National Construction Authority (NCA), property developers were blamed for undertaking projects without following set out guidelines.
In its November 15, 2022 statement, three out of ten buildings under construction in Nairobi were found to be non-compliant.
