Lobby raise alarm over high construction cost
By Reuben.Mwambingu, October 30, 2023
The Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK) has raised a red flag over the rising cost of construction amid the harsh economic times.
Speaking at the 2023 IQSK Annual Summit in Mombasa, the IQSK president Jennifer Musyimi warned that the escalating cost of construction is putting the integrity and credibility of quantity surveyors to test unfairly.
“The fees may be highly negotiated, but the volume impact is the score. This will be a test of our integrity and credibility on the job,” Musyimi said.
According to Musyimi, the average construction costs in Kenya is around Sh31,000 per square metre, but according to Integrum- a construction project management firm, the average construction this year ranges from Sh41,600 per square metre to Sh100,800 per square metre.
When converted, those building rates translate to Sh3,865 per square foot to Sh9,365 per square foot.
“Sh41,600 is the average cost of building one square metre of a standard bungalow in the region of Nairobi and Mt Kenya. It represents an increase of 20.06 per cent over the past year. The same would, otherwise, cost you Sh43,250 per square metre in the Coast region, while developers in Western Kenya and Nyanza would have to fork out Sh42,000 per square metre,” notes Integrum.
The IQSK president appealed for the government’s fiscal intervention to lower the cost and protect the quantity surveyor’s profession.
National Construction Authority chairperson Mercy Okiro Government spending on roads is anticipated to rise by 7.7 per cent from Sh177.1 billion in 2021/22 to Sh191.4 billion in 2022/23.