Month: October 2014

1. 1.2acres, in Lavington, just off the new bypass and opposite St Austins school. Ideal for Town Houses @ 220M

2. 0.40acres on Limuru Road, prime for development, corner plot, current user residential, selling at 130M. Rgds.

3. 10acres in Kisaju, Kitengela area, touching main Namanga road, on tarmac for a reduced price offer of 8.5M per acre

4. Half acre plot behind ISK school & Kihingo towards Nyari at a bargain 28M. Owner wants it gone ASAP. Located in a quiet established neighbourhood.

5. Mombasa: 10acres for sale in Kikambala, just opposite Sun N Sand Hotel area. It’s on the left side of the Mombasa – Malindi Road. Direct from owner at 5.5M per acre. The ten acres plot in Kikambala is neighbouring and sharing the same fence with Pwani Oil Industries.

6. Chania Village: A fabulous opportunity for a great investment in the hotspot, Thika Town: 2 apartment blocks, 8 apartments each, with 2bedrooms, (master ensure), 1000sq.ft. Fitted cabinets in kitchen and wardrobes in bedrooms, fully tilled. Priced at Kshs 4.5M – Buy a whole block for an incredible 36M and enjoy great returns. DONT WAIT TO BUY, PROPERTY, BUY PROPERTY AND WAIT !! Rgds. Salim Vayani – iProperties

7. Half acre plot behind ISK school & Kihingo towards Nyari NOW AT 27M – MUST GO!!

8. 8.3 Acres along Mombasa Road, 2nd row near Cabanas interchange and behind Tuskys HQ / FAW Showrooms. The property is very ideal for development of godowns which are most in the vicinity. Price 45M Per Acre

9. 0.75 Acres along Mombasa Road, 2nd row OPPOSITE Tuskys HQ / FAW Showrooms, this is on the left side of mombasa road on your way to CBD. The area has office blocks, godowns, and has less restrictions on development compared to across the road & close to the airport. Price Kshs 65M

10. Malindi: 19acres vacant land, located on 3rd row from beach front. Prime for development of University or multi dwelling estate. 50M o.v.n.o for entire parcel. One title. Current user ‘Hotel’, lease 99yrs from 1994

0.5 acre with building for sale, Rimpa, Rongai. kES 40m. Call 0721410684 or email info@a4architect.com for more info.

C

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ll=-1.42228,36.703013&spn=0.001633,0.002642&t=h&z=19&iwloc=0005067d2b79c12f35dba&msa=0&msid=205617053586273466800.0005067d29ef36bedd32e&w=425&h=350]

Cost Item	Kshs	%
Land per year	240,000.00	6.097560976
Preliminary	140,000.00	3.556910569
Construction . 14 rooms	2,800,000.00	71.13821138
External Works	84,000.00	2.134146341
Contingency	56,000.00	1.422764228
Professional fees	56,000.00	1.422764228
Project Management fees	28,000.00	0.711382114
Marketing	28,000.00	0.711382114
Financial Charges	504,000.00	12.80487805
Total	3,936,000.00	100
Financing Plan	Kshs	%
Developer	1,136,000.00	28.86178862
Debt Finance	2,800,000.00	71.13821138
Presales	120,960.00	3.073170732
Total	3,936,000.00	103.0731707
PROFIT
TOTAL RENT FOR 14 UNITS	1,209,600.00
Total rent for 6 front shops	360,000.00
Total rental income	1,569,600.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	3,936,000.00
Repayment period. Years.	2.51
Phase 1
Cost Item	Kshs	%
Land per year	240,000.00	11.49425287
Preliminary	70,000.00	3.352490421
Construction . 7 rooms	1,400,000.00	67.04980843
External Works	42,000.00	2.011494253
Contingency	28,000.00	1.340996169
Professional fees	28,000.00	1.340996169
Project Management fees	14,000.00	0.670498084
Marketing	14,000.00	0.670498084
Financial Charges	252,000.00	12.06896552
Total	2,088,000.00	100
Financing Plan	Kshs	%
Developer	688,000.00	32.95019157
Debt Finance	1,400,000.00	67.04980843
Presales	60,480.00	2.896551724
Total	2,088,000.00	102.8965517
PROFIT
TOTAL RENT FOR 7 UNITS	604,800.00
Total rent for 6 front shops	360,000.00
Total rental income	964,800.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	2,088,000.00
Repayment period. Years.	2.16

1.What are some of the safety precautions landlords should adhere to before erecting a building?

Landlords as the developers have a duty to ensure safety of occupants in these high rise buildings. Common dangers are seen when children are playing and pass through the space in between railings or climb over these. Also, loose railings pose a danger to people who lean on them and the railings give in, resulting to a fall.

The railing height should be such that children can not easily climb over and fall.

Also, a height of over 1.2m is strategic in that it discourages people from sitting or leaning on the rail since its slightly higher than the waist level.

Railings on balconies are a good place for rescue in case of fire. Design should be such that in case of a fire breakout, occupants can easily move from floor to floor using the balcony railings as support.

2.What are the penalties for owners of buildings who do not adhere to rules?

In developed countries such as USA, when occupants are injured due to faulty building parts, the responsibility is first shifted to the architect to explain what went wrong. If the building owner is found to ave neglected the maintenance of the building, then he is held liable. If the architect did not supervise the railing fixing, where ample hooks were properly embedded into the wall and floor slab strongly. With newer construction technologies eg prefab walling, this can pose a challenge in terms of proper anchorage.
Penalties in developed countries include both civil and criminal liabilities. In Kenya, we have still not fully embraced consumer protection laws but with the new National construction authority, we will start seeing consumers/tenants being taken care of to prevent unnecessary injuries due to poor building construction methods. In Kenya, we are yet to see a tenant or building occupant take the route of suing the building owner due to injuries from poor building methods. Poor detailing of stairs, for example, where one stair height is uneven and different from the other,, usually result in dangerous falls in apartment buildings where the occupants simply take care of themselves without taking the route of suing the building owner, as in the case of developed countries. With time, occupants will slowly know their rights and will start demanding compensation from poor building construction that results to injuries. Also, its very common for school roofs to be blown by wind, in the process, the timber trusses injuring occupants. In such cases, the issue is reported only in the media but no one is put to task to compensate the injured. In developed countries, the building developer and architect could be put to task to explain why the roof anchorage did not include wind force.

3.Which parts of Nairobi are most affected?

The low income housing areas of Nairobi eg Kayole and Mathare North are mostly affected. This is due to the lack of technical supervision and also lack of Nairobi City Council building inspectors intervention. In these areas, the lands are not titled, usually held in share certificates so when developers would like to seek Nairobi City Council building plan approvals, there is a requirement that the land must have a title hence due to huge demand for housing, the developers usually just go ahead without involving the Nairobi County approvals. Its High time the Nairobi County resolves the land ownership issues and allows property owners with share certificates to submit their building plans, thereby ensuring occupants are safe once county development control officials bring in some sense of standards in the construction process.

4.Is there any landlord who has been prosecuted for not following the regulations?

Internationally, in most developed countries, this is usually the order of the day. No developer cna risk to construct without the intervention of architects to check on quality control.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1239543-halifax-building-inspectors-investigate-south-end-balcony-collapse

http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1240862-suit-in-2006-balcony-fall-set-for-trial

In Kenya and most other African countries, we are yet to reach the level where building occupants know their rights and put pressure on the landlord in case of injury. Once the land lord is pressured, he then learns that to avoid this, he needs to involve technical intervention from architects and engineers as he builds the next building or he renovates the existing ones.

Francis Gichuhi Kamau, Architect.
info@a4architect.com