Author: A4KENYA

Hills 01.
Plinth Area: 100m2.
Cost:
High Cost finishes:KES 3.5m[USD 400,000]
Middle Cost finishes:KES 2.5m[USD 30,000]
Low Cost finishes: KES 2.0m[USD 23,000]
Bedrooms:3

Hills 02.

Plinth Area: 100m2.
Cost:
High Cost finishes:KES 3.5m[USD 400,000]
Middle Cost finishes:KES 2.5m[USD 30,000]
Low Cost finishes: KES 2.0m[USD 23,000]
Bedrooms:3

Rongai House.

Plinth Area: 100m2.
Cost:
High Cost finishes:KES 3.5m[USD 400,000]
Middle Cost finishes:KES 2.5m[USD 30,000]
Low Cost finishes: KES 2.0m[USD 23,000]
Bedrooms:3

Syokimau 01.

Cost:
High Cost finishes:KES 3.5m[USD 400,000]
Middle Cost finishes:KES 2.5m[USD 30,000]
Low Cost finishes: KES 2.0m[USD 23,000]
Bedrooms:3

Kirinyaga House.

Cost:
High Cost finishes:KES 6.0m[USD 700,000]
Middle Cost finishes:KES 4.3m[USD 50,000]
Low Cost finishes: KES 3.4m[USD 40,000]
Bedrooms:4

WHY THE MLOLONGO BUILDING COLLAPSED.

http://www.trust.org/resize_image?path=/dotAsset/5819b229-dffd-47ca-8f2e-aaf1d14e2aa9.jpg&w=649

A six storey building collapsed in Kenya,Nairobi,Mlolongo town on Saturday  9^th June 2012 at around 6pm.

I have conducted personal research on the collapse of the previous  buildings collapse  in Nairobi as in the links below.

Langata Southern Bypass opposite Carnivore-2011

http://www.a4architect.com/topic/why-the-langata-southern-bypass-carnivore-building-collapsed/

 

Nairobi Kasarani Building-February 2012.

http://www.a4architect.com/topic/why-the-mwikikasarani-building-collapsed-and-how-to-prevent-this/

 

The primary reason for the Langata building collapse was because of use of poor quality sand for the beams and columns.

The primary reason for the Kasarani building collapse was use of very large spans between the beams and columns, resulting in weakness.

Similarities.

All the 3 buildings collapsed when the topmost floor was being constructed at the time of hoisting cement, sand and ballast for mixing.

The point localized weight of the cement, sand, ballast and water, coupled with the added force of the machine hoist that tends to pull the building at an angle during hoisting, is in my opinion the cause of the collapse in all the 3 buildings which I personally visited.

Mlolongo building.

The foundation and surrounding foundations of other upcoming buildings next to the Mlolongo building was filled with water.

The type of foundation used was not suitable for an areas filled with water. The size of the columns, aprox. 250mm by 250mm in my opinion could not enable water-proofing hence easier for water to reach the steel members inside the concrete hence rust resulting to breakage.

During concrete mixing, when too much sand, cement, water and ballast was heaped at the top floor, the basement columns could have given in since the steel was eaten by rust from the swampy ground.

Also, the size of the suspended slabs was unusually thick-approx.200mm instead of a maximum of 150mm. This seemingly small difference of 5cm when quantified in tones represents hundreds of tones of added weight. With a weak basement structure, this weight was too much when added to the extra localized weight from the cement, sand and ballast being hoisted upwards.

Now that all the 3 buildings collapsed during hoisting of materials , it’s important for builders to note that their buildings have a high chance to collapse during this period so they should take precautions.

How to prevent this trend of buildings collapsing.

 

The responsibility to ensure buildings are safe rests squarely with the Ministry of Local Government.

It’s the work of the Ministry of Local Government to ensure that all buildings have their designs done by registered Architects and Structural engineers. In this case, the Ministry of Local Government could have ensured that the Mlolongo, Langata and Kasarani buildings submit architectural and structural drawings to them for checking. This way, when too much weight was added, the buildings could have been able to support this.

It’s the work of the Ministry of Local Government to ensure that once the design is approved, the works are supervised as per the approved drawings.

At the moment, Architects are asked to absolve the Ministry of Local Government of liabilities in case buildings collapse .This is done at the time for application for building permit.

In my opinion, I find this improper in that the architects don’t have the capacity to enforce such a role .If the building owner decides not to involve the architects, all he needs to do is not to pay the architect/engineer for his time and transport to supervise-this ensures the architect will not be able to visit the site since he can’t do this at his own personal cost.

Also, even if the architect/engineer managed to visit the site and instructed the contractor/owner to use materials as in the drawings, the architect/engineer doesn’t have mechanisms to ensure the instructions are followed. These mechanisms are within the Local Government e.g. City Court, City Askaris e.t.c who are paid by the tax payer to enforce this.

How Local Government can ensure compliance.

Local Government Engineers are few/scarce. To enable the few to work at optimum levels, an IT solution is needed. This will enable just one engineer sitting behind a computer to supervise hundreds of buildings in conjunction with practicing architects /engineers using tools such as internet, and Google earth.

I had a meeting with the PS Ministry of Local Government 2 to 3 months ago, on such a portal that I have developed. The Ministry of Local Government technical teams evaluated the portal and were ok with it.

See how the portal works at the below link

www.a4architect.com/submit-drawings/

The PS recommended that I ask individual Local Authorities to buy into the idea. Any Local Authority interested in implementing this can contact www.a4architect.com for the teamwork.

Conclusion.

Collapse of buildings in Kenya can be prevented. Local Authorities can utilize IT/internet tools such as www.a4architect.com/submit-drawings/ to work with minimum specialized labour force. With such a tool, Local Authority engineers could have seen the Kasarani building exec structural spans and advised on it online. With such a tool, Local Authority engineers could have seen the report on the type of sand being used at Langata and advised appropriately online.

With such a tool, local authority engineers could have seen the swampy grounds at Mlolongo , small sized columns and excessively sized  slabs from images uploaded to the portal by the engineer and advised/enforced appropriately, all from the comfort of their offices.

The responsibility to ensure safety of buildings remains within the Ministry of Local Government and is the same in all countries worldwide. Unless the Ministry of Local Government acts, more and more buildings will continue to collapse.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.

Registered Architect.

info@a4architect.com

www.a4architect.com

http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/03/pf/states_currencies/index.htm

States seek currencies made of silver and gold
By Blake Ellis @CNNMoney February 3, 2012: 10:53 AM ET

Email Print

Worried that the Federal Reserve and the U.S. dollar are on the brink of collapse, more than a dozen states have proposed using their own alternative currencies of silver and gold.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — A growing number of states are seeking shiny new currencies made of silver and gold.

Worried that the Federal Reserve and the U.S. dollar are on the brink of collapse, lawmakers from 13 states, including Minnesota, Tennessee, Iowa, South Carolina and Georgia, are seeking approval from their state governments to either issue their own alternative currency or explore it as an option. Just three years ago, only three states had similar proposals in place.

“In the event of hyperinflation, depression, or other economic calamity related to the breakdown of the Federal Reserve System … the State’s governmental finances and private economy will be thrown into chaos,” said North Carolina Republican Representative Glen Bradley in a currency bill he introduced last year.

Unlike individual communities, which are allowed to create their own currency — as long as it is easily distinguishable from U.S. dollars — the Constitution bans states from printing their own paper money or issuing their own currency. But it allows the states to make “gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts.”

To the state legislators who are proposing state-issued currencies, that means gold and silver are fair game, said Edwin Vieira, an alternative currency proponent and attorney specializing in Constitutional law. And since gold has grown exponentially more valuable, while the U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, the notion has become increasingly appealing to state lawmakers, he said.

The state gold rush: Utah became the first state to introduce its own alternative currency when Governor Gary Herbert signed a bill into law last March that recognized gold and silver coins issued by the U.S. Mint as an acceptable form of payment. Under the law, the coins — which include American Gold and Silver Eagles — are treated the same as U.S. dollars for tax purposes, eliminating capital gains taxes.

Since the face value of some U.S.-minted gold and silver coins — like the one-ounce, $50 American Gold Eagle coin — is so much less than the metal value (one ounce of gold is now worth more than $1,700), the new law allows the coins to be exchanged at their market value, based on weight and fineness.
Local currencies: In the U.S., we don’t trust

“A Utah citizen, for example, could contract with another to sell his car for 10 one-ounce gold coins (approximately $17,000), or an independent contractor could arrange to be compensated in gold coins,” said Rich Danker, a project director at the American Principles Project, a conservative public policy group in Washington, D.C.

South Carolina Republican Representative Mike Pitts proposed a currency system that would allow people to use any kind of silver or gold coin — whether it’s a Philippine Peso or a South African Krugerrand — based on weight and fineness. Pitts said in the bill, which currently has 12 co-sponsors, that the state is facing “an economic crisis of severe magnitude.”

Republican representatives from Washington State followed suit in January, introducing a bill that would also allow any gold and silver coins to be considered legal tender based on metal values. Minnesota, Iowa, Georgia, Idaho and Indiana are also considering similar proposals.

Many of the bills would make it possible for residents to exchange the physical coins for goods and services, so you could use coins to buy anything from groceries to a car as long as the store chooses to accept them.

However, most people aren’t going to walk around with such valuable coins in their pockets, said Vieira. Plus, calculating the value of the coins — especially if they come from different parts of the globe and are of different sizes and shapes — will get tricky.

It’s more likely that the states will create electronic depositories and accounts for the coins to make transactions easier, when and if the initial bills are passed, he said.

Utah Gold & Silver Depository is already developing a system where customers could use debit cards linked to their gold holdings. When customers swipe their debit cards to make transactions, physical gold and silver coins would be transferred between accounts in privately-owned depositories (or vaults) based on the market value of the metals.

Before deciding on a specific form of currency, some states — including Minnesota, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina — are considering proposals that would first require a committee to review their alternative currency plan.

The future of U.S. currency: The states’ proposals have been gaining steam among Tea Partyers and Republicans, many of whom also endorse a nationwide return to the gold standard, which would require the U.S. dollar to be backed by gold reserves.

Tea Party “father” Ron Paul is sponsoring the “Free Competition in Currency Act,” which would allow states to introduce their own currencies, and rival Newt Gingrich is calling for a commission to look at how the country can get back to the gold standard.

But it will be the individual states that could really get the ball rolling, said Vieira. Even if several of the current proposals get killed, the introduction of so many bills at the state level is drawing national attention to the issue, he said.
Funny money: 11 local currencies

Of all the state proposals circulating right now, Republican-controlled states including South Carolina, Georgia, Idaho and Indiana have the best chance of passing their proposed bills this year, said American Principles Project’s Danker. If just one or two states implement an alternative currency, it could have a Domino effect, he said.

“I think we could get a couple passed in this legislative session, and that would show this is mainstream, popular and it would be a justification for more of the risk-averse states for doing this,” he said.

There are, of course, many people who think the recent push for alternative state currencies should be stopped in its tracks. David Parsley, a professor of economics and finance at Vanderbilt University, said he thinks state-issued currencies are a “terrible” idea.

“Having 50 Feds” could debase the U.S. dollar and even potentially lead the country into default, he said. “The single currency in the United States is working just fine,” said Parsley. “I have no idea why anyone would want to destroy something so successful — unless they actually wanted to destroy the country.”
First Published: February 3, 2012: 5:07 AM ET

The Implications of Currency Devaluation

Anthony Davies

© 1998, Cline & Davies Research Alliance

For a currency to be devalued means that the issuing government has mandated that the price of the currency (in foreign dollars) is lower than it was before. For example: if the Russian government changes the exchange rate from 100 rubles = $1 to 150 rubles = $1, then the ruble has been devalued. Now, regardless of whether a country has a fixed or flexible exchange rate system, there exists a “true” (we say “equilibrium”) exchange rate. The equilibrium exchange rate is the exchange rate at which everyone who wants to sell the currency can find a buyer and everyone who wants to buy the currency can find a seller. By definition, a flexible exchange rate is the equilibrium exchange rate. This is not the case with a fixed exchange rate.

Consider the following analogy. The equilibrium price of a car is $10,000. If the government imposes no restrictions on car prices (i.e. car prices are flexible), then the free market price of a car will be $10,000. Further, there will be no surplus or shortage of cars — everyone who wants to buy a car (at $10,000) will find one to buy, and everyone who wants to sell a car (at $10,000) will find a customer. Now, suppose the government imposes a price floor on cars of $15,000. At the official price of $15,000, many people will want to sell cars, but few people will want to buy cars – there will be a surplus of cars. If the government wants to avoid ending up hip-deep in unsold cars, it will have to buy the extras itself. (Note: this is precisely what the government does in the case of farm subsidies.)

In the case of a fixed exchange rate, the Russian government declares that the official price of 100 rubles is $1. Suppose, however, that the equilibrium price of 100 rubles is $0.75. That is, people would be willing to trade 100 rubles for $1, but the government only allows trades of 100 rubles for $0.75. At the official price of 100 rubles to $0.75, many people will want to sell rubles (sellers receive $0.25 more than the equilibrium price), but few will want to buy rubles (buyers must pay $0.25 more than the equilibrium price). The result is that there will be a surplus of rubles: there are more people willing to sell than there are people willing to buy. As in the car example, if the government wants the market to continue, it must take up the slack. In this case, the Russian government must buy the surplus rubles (at the official price of 100 rubles to $1). How does the Russian government buy rubles? It pays for the rubles on the market with, for example, US dollars.

So now everything is fine. The official exchange rate is 100 rubles to $1. The Russian government buys up the surplus rubles that the market does not want, and life goes on.

Not so fast. The Russian government is buying these surplus rubles with US dollars. The US dollars are coming out of a stockpile that the Russian central bank has built up. What happens when the Russian central bank starts to run out of dollars? When the Russian central bank starts to run out of dollars, it becomes harder for it to buy up the surplus rubles. If the central bank loses the ability to buy up surplus rubles, then it becomes powerless to enforce its fixed exchange rate. The Russian government now has three options: (1) revert to a flexible exchange rate (which would cause the price of rubles to immediately fall to 100 rubles to $0.75), or (2) suspend trading in rubles (which is what the government did first), or (3) devalue the ruble so that the fixed exchange rate is closer to the equilibrium exchange rate (which is what the government did next). Note that option 3 does not solve the problem, but it does buy some time, while option 2 results in the formation of black markets in which the price of the ruble will fall more than it would were the government to revert to a flexible exchange rate.

What is the effect of having a fixed exchange rate which is greater than the equilibrium exchange rate? It makes it less expensive for Russians to buy foreign goods (so Russian imports are greater than they would otherwise be). It also makes it more expensive for foreigners to buy Russian goods (so Russian exports are less than they would otherwise be). Because GDP rises when exports rise and falls when imports rise, having a fixed exchange rate which is greater than the equilibrium exchange rate is bad for the economy. So, maybe devaluing the ruble is a good thing — if the ruble is devalued to, say, 100 rubles = $0.75 then (1) the Russian central bank no longer has to buy up surplus rubles (because there won’t be any surplus), (2) Russian exports rise (because Russian goods are now cheaper for foreigners), (3) Russian imports fall (because foreign goods are now more expensive for Russians). According to this formula, Russia should be on its way to a burgeoning economy.

Not so fast. Many foreigners have purchased Russian bonds. These bonds are IOU’s that state that the Russian government promises to pay a certain amount of rubles to the holders of the bonds at some fixed date in the future. Suppose you are the IMF. Six months ago, you purchased 100 billion rubles worth of Russian bonds. At the fixed exchange rate of 100 rubles to $1, you paid $1 billion for the bonds. Let us say that the bonds yield 10% interest and come due tomorrow. You will have earned 5% on the loan. So tomorrow, you will receive a check for $1.05 billion, right. Nope. Those bonds were denominated in rubles. You will receive back your 100 billion rubles plus 5%, or 105 billion rubles. BUT, now that the government has devalued the ruble, those rubles trade not at 100 rubles to $1, but at 100 rubles to $0.75. The 105 billion rubles you receive tomorrow are worth $787 million and change. Because of the devaluing of the ruble, you just lost almost a quarter of a billion dollars — and that is after accounting for the interest you earned. Thus, for the Russian government to devalue the ruble is tantamount to its defaulting on a portion of its debt.

Our story is not yet over. Combine all of the above with the fact that the Russian government has been ineffective in collecting taxes. Because it is ineffective in collecting taxes, the government does not have enough rubles to either pay off the debt it owes on its bonds or to purchase the products it requires to continue operating as a government. While the Russian government can devalue the ruble so as to eliminate some of the debt it owes, devaluation is not a panacea because: (1) the more the government devalues the ruble, the lower the probability that it will get another loan from a foreign government in the foreseeable future, (2) devaluing the ruble relieves the pressure of having to pay back debt, but it does not provide rubles for future purchases. In order to obtain rubles for future purchases, the government (absent tax revenue) has no choice but to “print” rubles. So, the government prints the rubles and buys the products it needs to stay in business as a government.

Not so fast. The average prices of products in a country is (roughly speaking) the ratio of the quantity of currency in the country to the quantity of products produced in the country. When the Russian government prints rubles, it increases the quantity of rubles without changing the quantity of Russian products produced. The result is that prices go up by the same percentage as does the money supply. But, because prices will rise only after the economy is aware that the government has expanded the money supply, if the government is quick to print and spend the new money, it will be able to buy what it needs with the new rubles before inflation reduces their value. Like a game of hot-potato, those who pay for the government’s purchase of product with “printed money” are the people who are holding rubles when the inflation hits.

To summarize: the current economic crisis in Russia is caused by a combination of factors. The government has been ineffective in collecting taxes which means that the government has to print money to buy what it needs. In an effort to escape the effects of the nearly world-wide economic collapse, investors want to buy strong currencies (like the dollar) and to sell weaker currencies (like the ruble). The flight to dollars causes the equilibrium exchange rate of the ruble to fall. The Russian central bank finds itself forced to sell off almost all of its stock of dollars in an attempt to support a now untenable fixed exchange rate. As the Russian government runs out of money to buy what it needs and the Russian central bank runs out of dollars to support the fixed exchange rate, two things are done: (1) the Russian government prints rubles (causing massive internal inflation), (2) the Russian central bank devalues the ruble (effectively causing the Russian government to default on its loans).

How could this disaster have been averted? One suggestion (which some economists have been advocating for over a year now) is to encourage the IMF not to bail out Russia. Economic forces are like the tides: if you are delusional, you might be convinced that you can stop them; if you are smart, you’ll realize that you can’t and do the best you can not to get dragged out to sea. Had the IMF refused Russia the loans it requested a year ago, Russia would have been forced to do the sort of thing it has recently done: devalue the ruble and print money. The difference is that the devaluing would have occurred when the Russian debt was much smaller than it is now, and the printing of money would have occurred when Russian prices were lower than they are now. In attempting to hold back the tide, we may have ensured that Russia, instead of starting the long trek for high ground while the water was still low, has a firm foothold on the beach just in time to be swamped by a tidal wave of economic collapse.

Return to Cline & Davies Research Alliance

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/clinedavies/essay1.html

SECTIONAL LAND OWNERSHIP AND SALE.

Land prices in Kenyan urban areas are on the rise. To enable Kenyans acquire land ownership within the high land prices, www.a4architect.com has developed the Sectional land ownership method whereby the minimum sub divisible land, 1/8^th acre can be shared by 2,3 or 4 people hence more accessible.

How a 1/8^th acre plot is currently Shared between 2,3 or 4 people.

Sharing a 1/8^th acre land between 2,3 or 4 people occurs commonly around Nairobi. New housing estates usually sell housing units which sit within a 1/8^th acre divided between 2, 3 or 4 houses.

For example, 100% sold-out housing estates such as Akila-Langata road, Tamarind Meadows, Mombasa road, 360 Apartments, Syokimau all sit on less than a 1/8^th acre shared land.

Therefore, the possibility of 2 ,3 or 4 people sharing a 1/8^th acre  is currently being used.

The architectural design and the Local Authority byelaws within a particular area serves as the limitation to the number of housing units that can fit within the 1/8^th acre plot.

How it works.

1. 2,3 or 4 people will come together and agree to share a 1/8^th acre plot after viewing a 1/8^th acre plot listing for sale.
2. The 2,3 or 4 people will procure the master plan from ww.a4architect.com on how the units will be arranged within the plot . The master plan will then be submitted to the relevant Local Authority for approval, marking the legal basis for the 2,3 or 4 people to share the 1/8^th acre plot.

Fees for the Master Plan will be shared by the 2,3 or 4 partners as below:

Options to Choose from|	Total fees.	2 partners:each partner contribution|KES	3 partners:each partner contribution|KES	4 partners:each partner contribution|KES
Architectural   fee |a4architect submits application and follows it up till approval.	80,000	40,000	26,667	20,000
Architectural fee|Partial|Owners submit application to council.	40,000	20,000	13,333	10,000

 

3. The 2,3 or 4 people will register a Limited Liability Company to buy the 1/8^th acre plot. The architectural master plan will describe each particular ownership similar to the current Sectional Properties Act description within the Articles of Association. The company will then buy the land and each partner can go ahead to construct their house as per the approved architectural plans within the regulations set out in the Articles of Association.

 

 

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.

 

www.a4architect.com

info@a4architect.com

+254721410684

 

Easiest method to own land and property in Kenya.

Sectional land ownership.

Land prices are on the rise in Kenya. An eight of an acre in parts of Kitengela, Ongata Rongai and Syokimau is now selling at KES 1.5m.

This price has put many Kenyans off from acquiring such property. Sectional ownership of land comes in to offer solutions.

Land size.

An eight of an acre if well designed can accommodate 2 or 3 houses within it.

Many housing estates along Mombasa road Mlolongo area offer houses for sale which sit on let than  a sixteenth of an acre. These sell for KES 7 to KES 10m per unit.

Other housing estates are selling units on flats. Units above the ground floor can not access the ground space hence have zero compound. Such units sell fro a minimum of KES 4m and are on high demand.

This clearly shows that location is more important than outdoor compound space.

When an eighth of an acre is shared between 2 or 3 houses, the compound space is approximately equal to the space offered within the numerous housing estates on sale around Nairobi for millions of shillings.

Eighth acre dimensions.

Most plot dimensions for an eighth of an acre plots are not exactly the same. The average size of the eighth acre plots is 50 feet by 100 feet.  In actual size, the plots exact dimensions will differ slightly e.g.  can be 49 feet by 101 feet .

Boundary demarcations.

When sharing the eighth acre plot between 2 to 3 people, the slight difference is very crucial since the spaces are tight. If a neighbor erroneously encroaches into the other by a few feet, the other house will be too squeezed for comfort. If a neighbor encroaches into another neighbor by a few feet, services such as septic tank and car parking might not fit.

To ensure such incidences do not arise, the architectural design that includes the master plan on how all the 2 or 3 houses shall fit within the plot becomes a very useful tool. The design is optimized to ensure the best use of space so that all the 2 or 3 houses fit well and make use of the available space to the maximum.

Disputes.

In other plots larger than eighth of an acre, the plot boundaries are fixed using the survey plans. Disputes are resolved through the survey plan documentations held within the Ministry of Lands.

In sectional ownership of land, the boundary disputes will be resolved using the approved architectural plan that describes the boundary extent of the 2 or 3 owners.

How it works.

• 2 or 3 people identify an eighth acre for sale and agree to share the ownership . Each person can post a request for partnership at http://www.a4architect.com/discuss/buy-a-section-of-land/ .

 

• The 2 or 3 people consult www.a4architect.com for the master plan layout that demarcates the boundaries of the eight acre .  The 2 or 3 people can either come physically to www.a4architect.com offices or send the deed plan or survey plan to www.a4rchitect.com by email.
• www.a4architect.com prepares the architectural design comprising of 2 or 3 houses  that can be taken for approval within the relevant Local Authority. This can be emailed to the 2 or 3 people or obtained physically by visiting the a4arcitect offices.

 

• Payments for the architectural design are charged as per below breakdown. Payments can be through cash, cheque or Mpesa. The 2 or 3 people can either choose to apply for approvals from the Local Authority or have www.a4rchitect.com apply and follow up the approval process on their behalf.

	Options to Choose from|	Total fees.	2 partners:each partner contribution|KES	3 partners:each partner contribution|KES
Option 1	Architectural   fee |a4architect submits aplication and follows it up till approval.	80,000	40,000	26,667
Option 2	Architectural fee|Partial|Owners submit application to council.	40,000	20,000	13,333

 

 

 

• The 2 of 3 people can now register a Limited Liability company that buys the land and within the company articles of association, describe how to share the property as per the architectural drawings that describe how each will build his property and what extent his portion will be.
  • They can then buy the land, use the approved plans as legal documentation to demarcate their boundaries and construct their 2 or 3 homes as per the Local Authority approval specifications.

 

Architect Francis Gichuhi kamau.

www.a4architect.com

info@a4architect.com

0721410684

HOW TO EVADE HIGH LAND PRICE IN KENYA.

Kenya’s total land size is 582,650 sq km. This translates to   143,975,950.00 acres.

Of this land, 50% is agricultural i.e. can be farmed upon or used as pasture for grazing. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/kenya/arable-land-hectares-wb-data.html

Assuming that this 50% of agricultural land, 71,987,975.00 acres is owned by 20% of the population, mainly Government bodies and individuals, we remain with    35,993,987.50 Acres.

80% of Kenyan population shares the 35,993,987.50 acres. Out of this  35,993,987.50 acres, 50% of this will be roads due to subdivision process, unbuildable areas such as pits, quarries, dams and forests.

Land Shared equally to al Kenyans.

This leaves 7,198,797.50 acres to be shared by 40,000,000 Kenyans. The 7.1million acres shared by 40 million Kenyans bring us to 0.18 acres per person, approximately a 1/8^th acre plot per person.

The population is growing at a rate of 2.4% per year.

This means that the plot sizes have to be lower than 1/8^th acre to accommodate all.

Other options to increase livable space include

• Building several storeys higher to increase the livable area per person.
• Several families living together to increase the number of people within the 1/8^th acre plot.
• Land reforms to provide mechanisms that allow Kenyans to live in the 50% of land in the arid and semi arid areas.
• Land reforms to increase the land available from the minority landlords and large government holdings who own the 80% of agricultural land.

We are currently in an election year. None of the possible presidential candidates have mentioned anything related to increase of available land through the above methods. This means that chances are high that things will remain as they are.

The availability of only a small section of land for sale to majority Kenyans has resulted in very high land prices.

Most of the land that could have been used for housing is held by Government and a few individuals.

Take Nairobi for example.

• KWS owns a large tract of land from Langata till Kitengela.
• Ministry of Forestry owns a  large tract of land from Kibera till Kikuyu-Ngong forest.
• The Catholic Church owns most of the land in Karen.
• The city has occupied a huge chunk in the middle of Nairobi.
• Kenyatta University owns most of the land along Thika road.
• Coffee farms own a lot of land along Thika road.
• JKIA owns thousands of acres along Mombasa road.
• KARI owns a lot of acreage along Waiyaki way.
• Kenya Railways owns thousands of acres in the city and the suburbs.
• Many more individuals own huge chunks of fallow unused lands in Nairobi and its suburbs.

This leaves a small fraction to be cut into 1/8ths for the majority of the population to share.

This has resulted in very high land prices.

Since land is as essential as air in that we can’t live without it, www.a4architect.com has come up with a solution to this-Sectional Land Ownership.

How Sectional land ownership works.

1. 2 or 3 people meet and identify a plot of land 1/8^th acre anywhere within Kenya from here http://www.a4architect.com/discuss/buy-a-section-of-land/

 

2. www.a4architect.com comes up with a master plan architectural design that allows for 2 or 3 houses within the 1/8^th in compliance with building regulations set out within the local authority bye laws.

3. The 2 or 3 people register a company with 2 or 3 shares which enables them to co-own the land and build their dream homes for living in or as rental and sale investment.

 

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.

www.a4architect.com

info@a4architect.com

+254721410684

 

 

 

 

 

SECTIONAL OWNERSHIP OF LAND IN KENYA-BEST METHOD TO CREATE WEALTH.

Wealth in any Nation is created when factors of production, namely, Land, Capital and Labour are used to efficiency.

Sectional ownership of land enables unlocking of land as a factor of production to a majority of the population.

For effective wealth production to take place, energy is needed as a secondary factor of production.

In Summary.

• Primary factors of production that enable creation of wealth are Land,Capital land Labour.
• In Kenya,land price is very high hence a need for the sectional land ownership method to enable acquisition of land hence increase in productivity.This can provide  solutions as a current measure. Other factors of production will require a future intervention.
• The other factors, Capital and Labour and Energy can be acquired in future through employment of critical thought processes.

Energy.

The world receives its energy from the sun. When the sun shines, plant through the process of photosynthesis turn sun’s energy into plant material. This plant material is then consumed by humans and other animals.

After plants and animals die, their deposits form oil over many millions of ears. This oil then drives our economies.

The most efficient method of using the sun’s energy is through solar panels. These have no moveable parts hence less wastage of energy.

By virtue of Africa and Kenya lying within the equator, it receives maximum solar energy compared to other continents.

 

Solar panel manufacturing through the doping of silicon as a semiconductor is expensive. Africa through the poor leverage and representation in the world’s monetary bodies can not access the capital needed to buy the solar panels.

Solution to affordability of Solar panels-THE FUTURE.

The BRICS, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have led the way into ensuring the world’s monetary policies are fair. All world currencies are pegged on the US Dollar. Before the early 1970s, the US dollar was pegged to Gold, hence a logical monetary policy. The current situation has the worlds currency pegged to the US Dollar  without any Gold backing.

Already, the BRICS are in plans to come up with a global bank that rivals the World bank/IMF.

http://www.newkerala.com/news/2011/worldnews-180459.html#.T83Md1JgAf0

 

Already, India and China are in talks with Iran to use Gold for purchase of Iranian oil.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/318404

http://presstv.com/detail/222857.html

It’s only a matter of time before African nations that can be able to marshal superior economic think-tanks also follow suit and start trading their produce based on Gold as opposed to the US Dollar.

Africa  again starts with a head start if the world uptakes Gold as currency. Africa has more Gold deposits than the other continents.

South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya, DRC Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Niger, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Algeria and Zambia have Gold deposits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_gold_production

The use of Gold to enable obtaining of solar panels in Africa will unlock the sun’s energy to enable wealth creation in gigantic proportions.

As mentioned earlier, factors of production i.e. LAND , Capital and Labor to enable wealth creation will be unlocked. The Capital from Gold will enable acquisition of labor in terms of solar power production which will unlock energy to enable investment on land.

Land as a factor of production.

In most countries colonized by the British Empire, land was alienated from the inhabitants and owned by the colonists. After the colonists left in the 1960s, land was left within the hands of a few Africans while a large majority was left landless.

Land is the most important factor of production since without land, labor and capital cannot operate/function. We need land to live in, produce food, and operate industries and transport. Basically, land is utilized for all functions of life.

When a large percentage of Africans are left landless, they pay a very heavy price to the land lord to enable them live. The price is in terms of house rent, farm rent, office rent, and building purchase.

 

Scarcity of Land in Kenya.

By 1922, the British Empire owned ¼ of the earth’s surface.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire

http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/april2007/british_empire.html

 

The Arab world,Iraq,Egypt and India gained their independence in the 1920s. East Africa in the 1960s and Zimbabwe in 1980.

The return of land to the Africans by the British Empire was skewed in such a manner that most Africans were left landless.

The few land owners in Kenya have gained excessive wealth through renting and selling the land to the majority population. Since land is like air in that humans cannot exist without it, the demand has become very high. Since it’s controlled by a few , the availability has become very scarce.

Solutions to scarcity of land in Kenya.

 

Methods to rectify this anomaly without civil wars are implementation of Land Value Tax or idle land tax.

This taxes the land owners who keep their lands idle, hence denying other Kenyans an opportunity to use the land to farm or live in.

Since land is not man-made-i.e. it was created by God for all to use, idle land tax will force the owners of land to utilize their lands for farming, residential use, manufacturing and other uses.  In the process, they will increase their wealth while also enabling the majority landless to get job opportunities to increase their wealth, feed and house themselves.

http://www.a4architect.com/2012/04/15/solution-to-kenyas-poverty-and-landlessness-annual-land-value-tax/

THE PRESENT:

Solutions such as idle land taxation will come into play when the will of Kenyan politics will allow. As for now, the only method for Kenyans to utilize the factor of production called land is to share the affordable 1/8^th acre plots  through sectional land ownership.

http://www.a4architect.com/2012/05/04/own-land-in-nairobi-for-as-low-as-kes-54000/

How sectional land ownership works.

In this method, 2 or 3 people identify a 1/8^th acre land for sale.

They approach www.a4architect.com for architectural floor plans that will serve to enable the 2 or 3 people demarcate their boundaries and conform to local authority bye laws.

The 2 or 3 people register a company with 2 or 3 shares.

The company buys the land then they can each build their house and live harmoniously together.

Boundary disputes will be resolved through the architectural plan that forms part of the contract in the articles of association of the company that owns the land title.

This way, a majority of Kenyans will be able to access land as a factor of production. With this, they can easily utilize capital and labor to make more wealth.

With the ability to afford land through sectional method, Kenyans can be able to unlock production. They can afford to live near their work place, commence small scale industries and above all, afford shelter -all these and many more factors eventually create an environment favorable for production hence creation of individual and collective wealth.
All one needs to do is visit http://www.a4architect.com/discuss/buy-a-section-of-land/ then post a request for partnership on a 1/8th land. Describe the area you would like to purchase your land. Another interested person will see this and respond to enable you form the much needed partnership.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.

www.a4architect.com

+254721410684.

info@a4architect.cvom

Where is gold found on earth?
http://www.gold-traders.co.uk/gold-information/where-is-gold-found-on-earth.asp

Gold can be found on nearly every continent of the earth. It also exists in trace amounts in sea water and in the human body. Despite the fact that gold can be found almost everywhere, there is very little gold in comparison to other elements on earth. In fact, if all the gold ever discovered were collected and melted down and formed into one cube, it would measure just 20 meters on each side.

The largest known deposits of gold appear on two continents, Africa and India. In these two regions, South Africa has the largest concentration of gold with the town of Johannesburg being built over the worlds largest gold deposit. India is home to the worlds second deepest underground gold mine, the Champion Reef Mine, which is located on the Kolar region of India. While the Kolar gold fields have been closed for several years due to diminishing returns on the investment, this area of India is still thought to contain very rich deposits of gold. The Indian nation also takes credit for being the world’s largest consumer of gold and gold products.

As a producer of gold in the last two centuries, the North American continent has become a source that may rival these other continents. With deposits of gold being found in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the North American continent is developing as a gold producing continent.