One of the modern buildings that have come up in Nakuru town [PHOTO: STANDARD]
According to Samuel Mwaura, an MCN engineer, local authority’s officers will be making frequents visits to construction sites right after approval of building plans till the completion of buildings to ensure builders stick to the approved structure drawings.
“Our officers from planning, engineering and design departments will inspect every stage of construction and they will advise on whether or not the project should proceed to the next stage,” Eng. Mwaura said.
Eng. Mwaura further said that developers must hire the services of engineers registered with the Engineers Registration Board of Kenya (ERBK) and must obtain a registration number that will be verified by the council engineer.
“The site engineer must sign the Identity Form, which ties him to the construction process unlike before where we did not have the procedure,” he said adding that the move will stop the infiltration of quacks in Nakuru.
Under the new regulations, developers will also be required to be in possession of a geographical report that certifies the suitability of a construction site, given that the town experiences seismic movements that cause slight earth tremors.
The move by MCN to tighten construction regulation comes at a time when the Nakuru is experiencing increased and rapid construction of buildings to meet the rising demand for space triggered by banks, universities and retail superstores.
Nakuru is the third largest residential town in Kenya after Nairobi and Mombasa and was named the fastest developing town in sub-Saharan Africa in 2011 by the UN Habitat.
