State Department for Public Works - Kenya

Audit and Inspection of buildings in 9 Sub-Counties in Kiambu comes to an end.
Engineers from the National Buildings Inspectorate (NBI) at the State Department for Public Works and the Department for Urban Planning from the County Government of Kiambu congregated on Thursday, 7th May, 2026, for an exit meeting at the County offices following the completion of an audit of buildings that had been flagged for structural issues as well as failure to comply with planning and approval guidelines.
A total of 77 buildings were inspected, with recommendations for remedial work made. The exercise commenced on 22nd April and concluded on 7th May 2026. The operations took place in all nine Sub-Counties and Municipalities, namely Kikuyu, Kabete, Lari, Ruiru, Juja, Kiamba, and Githurai, among others.
The exit meeting was chaired by Ms. Hannah Marangah, the Director of Planning, who is also the acting Chief Officer at the county. On behalf of the county government, she received a report from the NBI team containing findings and recommendations from a previous audit.
The NBI team also briefed the meeting on some of their findings and recommendations during the just concluded exercise, among them were some developers lacking the necessary approvals from the county government and other relevant authorities, failure by developers to engage engineers and architects during construction, and only using the professional’s services for approval, and cases of unqualified Engineers in some areas. Some of their recommendations include summoning the unqualified Engineers to respond to queries raised by the team, controlled demolition of the uninhabitable buildings, citing a case in Kinoo, fast tracking of the issuance of approvals to developers, inspection of buildings every 5 years, ensure that developers leave a space of 1.5 metres around buildings for ventilation. The team also noted that some sites were neglected, posing a danger to the public among the deep excavations and unfinished buildings.
The county was called upon to enforce the Building Code 2024 in order to ensure safe and habitable buildings.
On her part, the Director of Planning praised the team for their synergy and teamwork, noting that Governor Kimani Wamatangi was very supportive of the exercise. She promised to improve the working conditions for the engineers, designers, and the rest of the team at the county. She also informed the meeting that the county will not encourage regularization, and shoddy contractors will soon be blacklisted.
The Engineers from NBI will now retreat to prepare a comprehensive report with recommendations to be forwarded to the county government for action.

Modern Tuition block at the Kenya Institute of Surveying and Mapping nears completion in Ruaraka.
A modern multi storey tuition block at the Kenya Institute of Surveying and Mapping (KISM) is 73 percent complete. This was revealed during a meeting when engineers from the State Department for Public Works who are the lead consultants, representatives from KISM and the Contractors gathered at the site in Ruaraka to assess the progress of the works ahead of the official handing-over on 16th June, 2026.
The works which commenced on 11th June 2024 were initially scheduled for completion on 22nd December 2025 but the Contractor applied for an extension in order to properly complete the works. When complete the tuition block will encompass 16 Classrooms, 12 offices, 4 Laboratories, an auditorium for 150 students fitted with video projectors and ablution blocks. Other facilities will include a mother’s room, a spacious boardroom, a conference room, staffroom and a kitchen. Also, under construction at the site is a 70,000 litres rain water harvesting underground tanks, solar power energy panels, 2 large lifts, a fire escape exit and main staircase with a standby generator.
The team from the State Department for Public Works led by Chief Superintendent Architect Kenneth Mureithi who is the Project Architect commended the contractor for works so far and urged the him to apply for payment on time to avoid issues of pending bills as the Financial Year comes to an end on 30th June, 2026. KISM representative Mr. Kevin Namudeche urged the contractor to finalise the works on time so that the facility can be put to use. Belion General Agencies Limited representative who are the main contractors promised to deliver quality works and on time.
The facility is expected to serve more 1,000 students and 100 staff members once complete.