• Florence Nyole has revealed less than 25 per cent of Kenyans are using professional services when putting up structures
• The president of the Architectural Association of Kenya has expressed concern about the standards of buildings being put up
• She attributed the low numbers to a presumption among Kenyans that professionals are expensive
Less than 25 per cent of Kenyans are using professional services when putting up structures, Florence Nyole, the president of the Architectural Association of Kenya has said, expressing concern about the standards of buildings being put up.
Florence Nyole, The president of the Architectural Association of Kenya.
Nyole spoke on Citizen TV’s Day Break show on Tuesday, where she attributed the low numbers to a presumption among Kenyans that professionals are expensive.
But according to the architects’ leader, getting professional services saves the cost of faulty structures which tumble down not long after they are put up.
“We actually help the client save money. For any building that has collapsed at seven storeys, you have already spent millions so it would have been better to get professional services to ensure the building is structurally sound,” she said.
She also singled out Kenyan’s habit of doing “only what is compulsory” and thus choosing to forego advice from qualified people if they are not needed to prove it like in cases of seeking financing from lending institutions.
Similarly, Nyole expressed concern about the prevalence of people masquerading as professionals in the construction industry.
“They call themselves architects, engineers but they are not qualified. The public needs to know that professionals are registered by regulatory bodies,” she said.
According to the architect, one needs the input of at least three professionals when putting up a building; an architect, a structural engineer and a quantity surveyor.
An urban planner is also needed in the case of planning parameters, she added.
