NCA warns public against hiring unlicensed contractors

The National Construction Authority (NCA) has warned property developers against hiring unregistered contractors who it claims are to blame for the rising cases of sub-standard buildings in the country.

In a public notice, the industry regulator says it has noted that “persons masquerading as duly licensed service providers in the construction industry have been obtaining money by false pretense from members of the public under the guise of offering services or works for which they are not authorised to do”.

“Note that the law requires that only registered professionals be allowed to offer design and related implementation services on construction projects, and engaging non-registered persons is not only in contravention of the law, but is (also) dangerous as it will produce poor quality construction work,” NCA Executive Director Maurice Akech says in the notice.

The Authority has advised members of the public to verify the standing of any contractor by visiting its website – www.nca.go.ke.

The registration status of a service provider can be verified by visiting the websites of respective registration board – Engineers Board of Kenya for engineers, and the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors for architects and quantity surveyors.

“Any persons ‘practising’ without appearing on respective registers should be reported to the nearest police station or the EACC for appropriate action,” Eng. Akech said.

READ: NCA to register builders afresh in bid to weed out quacks

The NCA, which was established through the National Construction Authority Act of 2011, oversees all areas of construction including registering contractors to ensure only competent service providers are allowed to undertake construction works in the country.

The Authority has also reminded builders to register their projects to avoid harsh penalties.  

“Failure to register construction projects with the NCA is also a punishable offence. In addition, the Authority has the authority to stop on-going construction where the project fails to meet the regulatory requirements,” the regulator said.

READ: How to renew your NCA certificate

Meanwhile, the NCA has waived penalties for contractors who have failed to renew their annual practicing licenses over the past renewal periods as a means to encourage more specialists to comply with the law.

“The Authority has granted a waiver on all late renewal penalties which will only apply to contractors of categories NCA6, NCA7, and NCA8. However, contractors will be expected to pay the applicable annual renewal fees for the period in default.” NCA said.

The renewal and waiver period runs from June 1 to June 30, 2020.

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