This archive report was first published on 12 November 2019.
On November 12, 2019, Felix N'dolo wrote about the role of building consultants in achieving the country's housing goal.
While corruption, poor policies, lack of proper supporting infrastructure, and lack of government goodwill have hindered the construction industry's potential, a significant portion of the blame must be directed towards professional consultants.
The professionals operating within the construction industry are many and varied in discipline, including architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and others from the legal, procurement, business, and finance sectors.
How well these players execute their roles spells the difference between a thriving industry and the local example we are facing here.
The government, through various agencies, needs to create a system through which these professionals give back to society by providing pro-bono technical consultancy services.
By creating a properly structured framework, the government can create a win-win situation for all stakeholders involved.
Regulatory agencies within the building construction industry can build on the advancement of providing legal aid to criminal suspects and guarantee the provision of technical consultancy services to those who cannot afford or lack the procedural knowhow.
Most of the times when cases of collapsed buildings are reported, professional bodies disown the individual named as the architect and engineer, terming them a quack.
However, for developers putting up residential projects in estates notorious for building disaster calamities, hiring registered professionals may not be a priority.
The country has the capacity to allocate each residential development to a technical professional team of competent standing, guaranteeing safe and decent houses as per the provisions of Article 42 of the Constitution.
The government can support this initiative by giving tax rebates to consultant firms offering pro-bono services and make it a pre-condition when tendering for government projects.
With the recently released census figures and demographic projections, the urban population is rising at a rate much higher than the corresponding rate with which the housing sector is meeting the market demand.
