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The government should implement docile and constraining regulations to trigger the construction of more energy-efficient buildings in Kenya.
Chairperson of the Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS) Ms. Elizabeth Chege has said the slow pace of the implementation of key policies such as Built environment bill should be ratified speedily to allow for investments in the Green Buildings Concept.
“We need to see some of the docile policies implemented in good time; we have so many policies lying at the State Department of Public Works in the ministry of Transport that are awaiting for approval,” said Ms. Chege.
She made the remarks Wednesday during a workshop in Nairobi titled Green Buildings and Advancing Industry Standards in Kenya, adding that the industry would continue to grow – but the speed would depend much on whether the right steps were taken to strengthen the regulatory framework.
Kenya currently uses two parameters to evaluate a building for environmental friendliness, the leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the Green Star certification.
Previous directive imposed by ERC in May 2012 had also directed that homes and buildings likely to consume more than 100 litres of water must fit solar panels – an order that most builders continue to forfeit.
ERC further indicated that buildings existed before the directive came into force were given five years May 25, 2017 to comply failure to which offenders would be fined up to Sh1 million or face a jail term not exceeding one year.
But yesterday the Chairman of Board of Registration of Architects & Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) Nathan Kureba said the government through the board would push for stricter rules in the Built environment bill which will include pushing a limit on energy consumption to stimulate the building of more green buildings in the country.
Green building refers to both a structure and the use of processes that are environmentally sustainable and resource – efficient throughout a building’s life cycle, from design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition.
Statistics show that the construction industry emits 40 per cent of greenhouse gases and therefore if transformed properly could reduce the carbon footprint.
A good number of construction experts expressed concern that while mega structures coming up across the country were employing the concept – small scale builders have shunned the green revolution in order to minimise costs.
The workshop was organised by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Delegation of German Industry and Commerce (AHK), the Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS), the Kenya Property Developers Association (KPDA) and the Kenya Federation of Master Builders (KFMB).