Heels and hammers: Rise of brick and mortar sisterhood

Women in Real Estate (WIRE) Principle Secretary Prof. Architect Paul Maringa, Nancy Muthoni - The Property Show, Carol Kariuki - The Mortgage Company, Rose Muema, Nairobi County Chief in charge of Urban Planning, Brenda Nyawara, Architectural Student and President of Architectural Students Association, Ciiru Waweru Waithaka of FunKidz Group.

NAIROBI: To Ciiru Waweru Waithaka, the designs of Kenya's road pavements, toilets and bathtubs are pathetic. And she knows why. “They have been designed by men,” she says without batting an eyelid.

Not that she wants men out of construction. No, she thinks the sector would do better with more feminine touch.

“Road pavements are usually designed by men and do not factor in women’s heels, which keep getting stuck in the gaps between pavement blocks,” she said at a function in Nairobi last week, drawing laughter from the audience.

She said most toilets and bathtubs are so narrow that a broad-hipped true African woman has challenges fitting in. She then went on ahead and challenged women to stop complaining and be part of the solution.

Such is the difference women can make in the real estate and construction sectors. Waithaka, for one, has contributed her mite in making that difference. Waithaka, an interior architect, is the founder of Funkidz, a children’s furniture manufacturing enterprise, which is currently selling in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

On Thursday last week, she was among five women recognised for their contribution to the construction sector during the inaugural Women in Real Estate (WIRE) Awards. The other three women recognised during the event that took place in Nairobi were Caroline Kariuki, Rose Muema, Brenda Nyawara and Nancy Muthoni.

Waithaka was honoured for locally designing innovative, fun and yet functional furniture for children. Caroline Kariuki, who has over 20 years experience in housing and finance sector and is known for founding The Mortgage Company, an independent mortgage brokerage firm with a vision of helping more Kenyans own homes by championing cheaper mortgages.

Rose Muema, Nairobi City County’s Chief Urban Planner, was recognised for playing a key role in the preparation of the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Master Plan in 2014, while Brenda Nyawara, an architectural student, was recognised for her role as the president of Architectural Students Association at the University of Nairobi. Nancy Muthoni, on the other hand, was recognised for her role as the producer and host of The Property Show, which features real estate matters on KTN.
The women trailblazers shared their experiences and contributed to an informative dialogue on how real estate-related companies and public bodies can develop, retain and promote women leaders.

Caroline Kariuki is now involved in bamboo business and is the founding shareholder of Greenpot Enterprises Limited, an agro-forestry business, said: “I do not believe in women empowerment; we must earn the right to be respected as people and not just as women.”

She challenged women to work with excellence, noting that the trail-blazing women in construction have worked hard and sometimes suffered to be successful.
Nancy Muthoni, the Property Show TV host, has over 18 years in real estate and is passionate about demystifying the process of owning a home. She reminded women to support fellow women and encouraged them to excel rather than pull each other down.
Women were also encouraged to join the Government to contribute innovative ideas. “Women are the ones who submit people-driven designs. They will remember to include green places for children to play,” said Muema.

The event, whose theme was, “Hammers and Heels”, was organised by WIRE in conjunction with the Architectural Association of Kenya’s Quantity Surveyors Chapter. It was graced by the Principal Secretary of State Department of Public Works Prof Paul Maringa (himself an architect) and Senior Deputy Director in the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development Leah Muraguri.

The event attracted 167 professionals and students in the construction sector. It also celebrated the milestones made by women architects, planners, quantity surveyors, estate agents, developers, lawyers, financiers, contractors and interior designers.

WIRE also provides a platform for women in construction to network with like-minded professionals and mentors, with the aim of inspiring and celebrating one another. According to Emma Miloyo, the vice-president of AAK and WIRE representative, there is a low women representation in Kenya’s construction industry, from artisans to consultants.

But even globally, the construction industry is still predominantly a male domain. According to a 2010 report by the United States Department of Labour, only nine per cent of America’s construction workers are women. By comparison, women formed 59 per cent of workers in US service industry and 54 per cent in finance.

In Kenya, women constitute only two per cent of registered construction practitioners and six per cent of the licensed practising firms.

However, statistics from Kenya’s State Department of Public Works show this could soon improve since women enrollment in construction-related courses has risen by between 11 per cent and 48 per cent. Quantity surveying has the highest average representation at 30 per cent at both Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and the Technical University of Kenya (TUK).

Of note is that the Government has been working towards creating a platform for women to blossom. It is now a legal requirement in Kenya that 30 per cent of all appointments and recruitment must go to women. “This is same case in awarding of consultancy services in all government projects and procurement services,” says Prof Maringa.

The National Construction Authority has initiated several programmes to uplift women contractors. These include setting up the Association of Kenyan Women in Construction to advance and empower women in the construction industry.

The Women Contractor of the Year Award 2014 was another nationwide initiative to find the finest women contractors in various categories such as building works and road works. The overall winner, Melanie Wituka, was nominated for the Pan African Women in Construction Awards in South Africa where she came in second. The next such award will take place this year.
There is also an increase in the number of women holding positions of influence in various capacities in the construction industry. A good example is Aidah Munano, an architect. Munano joined public service in the early 1980s as an assistant architect in the then Ministry of Public Works and rose through the ranks to the position of deputy chief architect. She was appointed Works Secretary and is now serving as Principal Secretary for the State Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In a speech read on her behalf, Munano urged women to overcome all barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential such as unequal access to land and property, which hinder women from accessing finances to grow their business and hence remain at the micro-enterprise level.