Basco Paints MD Kamlesh Shah with Public Works PS Joel Arumonyang during the launch of the company’s DuraCoat AquaTech Rainshield, Kenya’s first tintable waterproofing paint/ HANDOUT




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The government has sent a warning to rogue builders and public officers colluding to approve sub-standard projects, as it moves to implement the National Building Code 2024, aimed at streamlining the construction sector.

The new code, which came into legal effect on March 1, 2025, follows the repeal of the outdated Building Code of 1968.

It was gazetted on March 1, 2024, through Legal Notice No. 47, with a one-year transition period for public education and stakeholder alignment.

Public Works Principal Secretary Joel Arumonyang has now said the government will be strict on constructions approvals especially at county level, where gaps have existed over the years, including lack of qualified personnel and corrupt individuals, who have previously okayed building plans that fail to meet the standards.  

“We are aware the technical capacity in our counties is still wanting on the technical officers, the architects, quantity surveyorsand engineers, but we continue to encourage them to recruit more so that these people can also support proper construction,” Arumonyang said.

He said the State Department of Public Worksis keen to employ 282 architects, quantity surveyors and engineers who will be positioned at regional offices and county offices to help improve sector standards, with a planned blacklisting of rogue contractors.

He said the National Building Code 2024is a regulatory framework designed to modernise the construction industry and address long-standing challenges in safety, sustainability and compliance, as the country adopts to modern global practices including greening the construction sector.

He spoke in Nairobi yesterday during the unveiling of DuraCoat AquaTech Rainshield, Kenya’s first tintable waterproofing paint and a landmark achievement in AI-driven product development, by Basco Paints–one of oldest paint manufacturers in Kenya and the East Africa region.

The new code is the primary subsidiary legislation under the National Construction Authority Act governing construction practices, standards and requirements in Kenya, aimed at promoting safety, order and health on construction sites, and includes provisions for environmental protection and compliance with modern construction principles

It comes in the wake of high cases of collapsing buildings in the country in recent times, with Nairobi being among the worst hit.

Between 2009 and 2019, official government data shows a total of 86 buildings valued at over Sh2.4 billion collapsed. The highest number was recorded in 2015 when21 buildings collapsed.

In April this year, an 11-storey building in Mombasa was brought down after it tilted with its two floors sinking.

“We must end this bad culture of shortcuts. We are working closely with the Engineers Board of Kenya, Architectural Association of Kenya, Institute of Quantity Surveyors and other industry stakeholders to streamline the sector including ensuring only professionals are in the field,” the PS told the Star.

Violating construction laws can lead to various penaltiesincluding fines, imprisonment, suspensionor deletion of a contractor's registration with the National Construction Authority (NCA). 

Basco Paints managing director Kamlesh Shah raised concerns over counterfeits and sub-substandard products in the market, with the paint industry being among those affected.

“Sometimes we suspect that there is some formalisation of that whole structure of counterfeiting that is happening in the country, whereby we are just not able to stop them. But what we as a manufacturer would request and would urge all our consumers to do is do buy your products from the right kind of suppliers, the right kind of outletsthe reputable outlets out there,” Shah said.

The company has unveiled to the market the DuraCoat AquaTech Rainshield specifically for Kenya and the region’s diverse climate conditions, factoring in high humidity, seasonal rainfall and extreme UV exposure, Shah noted.