Last week, President William Ruto directed a contractor to ensure that a pair of houses is built for the family of the late athlete Kelvin Kiptum ahead of his burial.
The construction, which kicked off on Friday, is expected to be completed by this week Thursday, a challenge the contractor, Vastu Company Limited, is confident will be realised.
To ensure service delivery on time, the contractor turned to a little-known yet highly effective technology known in engineering circles as precast, or prefabricated houses.
What is a Precast House
Originating from Nordic countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, precast housing is a technology that allows constructors to fabricate concrete components off-site.
The technology, which is gaining popularity across the world, is beloved for its affordability as well as a significant reduction in the time used to construct the house.
First, the contractor sets up a shell structure that includes a precast suspended foundation, precast walls, butterfly mabati roof, including gutters, conduits, and piping work.
In the case of the Kelvin Kiptum house, the contractor noted that the skeleton and roofing had already been completed by Sunday, within three days.
The construction was then followed by plumbing, as well as boarding of the exterior and interior, including the use of cement boards and gypsum lighting.
"We have all the materials expected to be used inside the house including the tiles and by Thursday afternoon we shall be able to hand over the project," the contractor told the press.
In other instances, contractors opt for plywood as a wall finisher instead of a precast material, as in the ongoing Kiptum's house project.
Costs and Use
According to Floor and Decor, a construction company, the shell of a 3-bedroom house with two bathrooms house can take 12 days to construct at the price of Ksh950,000.
Another company estimates that it costs approximately Ksh 1,111 per Square Metre including transport costs for a precast house compared to Ksh 1,550 when using natural quarry stones.
As a result, a simple one-bedroom house can consume up to Ksh 700,000 upon completion, while a 2-bedroom house is estimated at Ksh1.1 million. A completed 3-bedroom can take up to Ksh3.2 million.
The construction costs are, however, determined by the size of the house, the complexity of the design and the location of the construction site.
