Why Kenyans aren’t warming up to new technologies

Kenya: Touted as the cheapest and fastest route to home ownership, alternative building technologies (ABTs) should be the in-thing in Kenya. Experts say that with these technologies, prospective homeowners can save up to 50 per cent on construction costs.

However, not many Kenyans have warmed up to them. This is despite their adoption being highly recommended by professionals in the construction environment.

According to the recently-released Kenya National Housing Survey, 66 per cent of the built environment professionals interviewed said they had been advocating the use of alternative building materials and appropriate technologies.

The professionals included civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, quantity surveyors and architects. The main ABTs advocated for by the professionals included stabilised soil blocks (SSBs), reinforced concrete panels and prefabricated panels. Some 41 per cent of the professionals reported to have been advocating for the use of SBSs.

 Adoption

Experts say that the adoption of alternative building technologies may be key to reducing the biting housing deficit in the country. And key industry players are optimistic that it is just but a matter of time before Kenyans can fully embrace such technologies.

According to Shelter Afrique MD James Mugerwa, people are beginning to use ABTs, but he says their adoption is not widespread.

“As a matter of fact, it was the focus of our Annual General Meeting and Symposium last year in Ivory Coast and there is certainly a market for it. Having said that, we will have to admit that it has experienced a slow adoption rate, largely because there is a cultural bias on ABTs being cheaper and sub-standard,” says Mugerwa.

He adds: “The irony is we often pay thousands of dollars to go to resorts and hotels that offer the ‘authentic African experience’ with thatched roofs or even huts but we will demur if we had to employ the same technology in building our personal homes. More enlightenment and conversations will be necessary before we see wholesale acceptance of ABTs.”

He blames people’s generally view that ABTs are sub-standard, not safe or the cheaper option. Mugerwa thinks that with time and more enlightenment on the benefits ABTs, coupled with Government endorsement, “we may begin to witness a rise in the uptake of ABTs.”

Karibu Homes Executive Director Irfan Kehsavjee attributes low uptake of ABTs to poor perception among Kenyans. He says research has revealed that most of their target buyers held the perception that brick and mortar buildings are what constitute a good house.

Target

“Our target clientele dream of owning a house, and to them a good quality house is that which is made of stone or blocks. Many think that a house made using an alternative material is not as strong... That is why we are building using the normal technology,” Kehsavjee said recently during the groundbreaking of a housing project by Karibu Homes.

According to the Kenya National Housing Survey, stabilised soil blocks have gained a relatively wider acceptance. The uptake of SSBs, according to Peter Musungu, a building technician at Makiga Engineering Services Ltd, manufacturers of SSBs machines, has been good.

“We sell between 80 and 90 machines every month. Many of our customers are schools, co-operatives, community-based organisations, contractors, developers, entrepreneurs and county governments,” says Musungu.

He attributes the high uptake of SSBs to their cost-effectiveness due to soil availability, high quality blocks, uniformity in shape and size with defined edges and smooth surfaces, making construction faster and resulting in a reduced use of plaster.

Boleyn Magic Ltd MD Jack Liu, whose company manufactures expanded polystyrene panels (EPS) and plans to manufacture precast concrete wall panels, says it is not true that Kenyans have a negative perception on new technologies: “Since we introduced precast concrete panels in Kenya recently, we have seen high demand from clients, including the Government.” Liu says precast technology reduces labour costs by 50 per cent, lowers the amount of concrete and reinforcement bars by 30 per cent and four per cent, respectively, “and quality is guaranteed”.

Some of the common low-cost technologies include interlocking stabilised soil blocks, interlocking concrete blocks, precast concrete wall panels, EPS and straw panels.