How to Hire a Trustworthy Contractor in Kenya When You Live Abroad

Hiring a trustworthy contractor in Kenya when you live abroad is one of the most high-stakes decisions a diaspora investor makes. Get it right and your dream project becomes a reality. Get it wrong and you join the growing list of people who lost everything to a contractor who took the money and vanished.

The stories circulate in diaspora WhatsApp groups and community Facebook pages constantly. A nurse in Manchester wires KES 4 million for her Ruiru home’s foundation and slab. Three months later, the contractor stops picking up calls. The site is empty. The money is gone. A truck driver in Houston sends funds for a rental apartment in Nakuru. The building goes up — but the materials used are half the grade specified, the roof leaks on the first rain, and the “completed” structure fails a simple structural inspection.

These are not rare horror stories. Research from 2025 confirms that diaspora investors are among the most targeted victims of construction fraud in Kenya, precisely because distance creates an information gap that bad actors exploit. This guide closes that gap. It walks you through every step of hiring a contractor in Kenya from abroad — from the first Google search to the final handover. The Structrum Limited diaspora construction service was built to address exactly this challenge: a complete, transparent construction management solution for clients who cannot be on site every day.

Why Diaspora Investors Are Particularly Vulnerable to Contractor Fraud

You are not paranoid for being worried. The power imbalance between a diaspora investor and a Kenyan contractor is structural and significant. You are time zones away. You cannot drop by the site unannounced. You depend on information the contractor provides — and a bad contractor knows that and exploits it.

Three specific vulnerabilities define the diaspora investor’s position. First, information asymmetry: the contractor sees the site every day. You see WhatsApp photos they choose to send you, often taken from flattering angles that hide problems. Second, social distance: you cannot build the same kind of reputation-based accountability that a local client can. A local client who is unhappy can show up, confront the contractor, and make their dissatisfaction visible in the community the contractor depends on. You cannot. Third, emotional investment: most diaspora building projects carry enormous personal weight — a family home, a retirement plan, a legacy for children. Bad actors know that emotion clouds judgement and makes investors reluctant to stop a failing project or accept that they have been cheated, because doing so means admitting the dream has been compromised.

The good news is that every one of these vulnerabilities can be structurally mitigated with the right systems. Verification, contract structure, independent supervision, and milestone payments collectively close the gap between what the contractor tells you and what is actually happening on your plot. Building in Kenya from the diaspora is absolutely achievable — but only with the right framework in place from day one. The construction financing options available in Kenya are another piece of the puzzle worth understanding before you commit funds.

“We’ve heard them firsthand — tales of individuals who, after years of diligent saving, return home only to find their plots empty, their funds misappropriated, or structures so poorly built they are uninhabitable.” Zao Construction, Diaspora Guide 2025

Step One: Define Your Project Before You Talk to Anyone

The most common mistake diaspora investors make is approaching contractors before they have a clear project definition. This puts you at an immediate disadvantage. A vague brief invites inflated quotes, scope creep, and contractors who promise everything and deliver nothing, because “everything” was never specified.

Before you make your first call or post in any Facebook group, you need to produce a clear project brief that answers five questions: What exactly are you building? Where specifically is it being built — the exact land parcel? What quality of finishes do you want? What is your total budget, including contingency? And when do you need it completed?

What Does a Good Project Brief Include?

A project brief does not need to be a technical document. It needs to be specific enough that two contractors reading it would quote for the same thing. It should describe the number of rooms, the intended use (residential, rental, commercial), the preferred materials (for example, whether you want Ibstock bricks or local blocks, aluminium windows or timber), the expected floor space, and the location of the plot including the LR number if you have it.

Once you have a project brief, get your house plans produced first. No responsible contractor can give you a meaningful quote without approved plans. Building plan submission requirements in Kenya vary by county, but all require architectural drawings approved by the relevant county government and — for structural elements — structural engineering drawings. Skipping this step and asking contractors to quote on “a 3-bedroom house” without approved plans is how you end up with a building that violates local planning requirements, cannot be insured, and cannot be sold. The house plan design process in Kenya involves both an architect and a structural engineer, and both must be registered with their respective professional bodies.

You should also understand the soil conditions on your plot before budgeting. Foundation costs vary dramatically depending on whether your soil requires a simple strip foundation, a raft foundation, or deep pile foundations. A geotechnical survey before you finalise your budget is money well spent. A contractor who quotes without a soil investigation is guessing — and you will pay for that guess later.

Step Two: How to Source Trustworthy Contractor Candidates from Abroad

Sourcing the right candidates is not about finding the cheapest contractor or the one who responds fastest to your WhatsApp message. It is about building a shortlist of companies with documented capacity, verifiable track records, and demonstrable experience working with diaspora clients. Here is how to do it properly.

Aim to shortlist between three and five candidates. Never go directly to one contractor without comparing alternatives. The comparison process protects you in two ways: it reveals whether quotes are in the right ballpark, and it gives you leverage in negotiations. A contractor who knows you are speaking to competitors is less likely to inflate prices or make unrealistic promises.

Social Media and Online Searches: What to Look For

An online presence is not proof of legitimacy — but its absence is a warning sign. A contractor serving diaspora clients in 2025 should have a verifiable online presence: a professional website with a physical office address, a Google Business profile with reviews, and active social media showing genuine project photos. Look for consistency — does the company name match across all platforms? Are the project photos original or stock images? Does the website have a functional contact email (not just a Gmail address)?

Search the company name with the words “fraud,” “complaints,” or “scam” before you engage. Check whether anyone has posted negative experiences in Kenyan diaspora groups. One bad review does not disqualify a contractor — but a pattern of complaints about payment disputes, abandoned projects, or non-responsive management absolutely does. Renovation and demolition services in Kenya follow the same vetting process — the contractor’s track record on completed projects is the most reliable predictor of how they will manage yours.

Step Three: How to Verify a Contractor’s NCA Registration

NCA registration verification is the most important single check you will perform. It is free. It takes five minutes. And it eliminates every contractor who is operating illegally — which, in Kenya’s construction sector, is still a significant proportion of those who will approach you.

The National Construction Authority (NCA), established under Act No. 41 of 2011, is the statutory regulator for Kenya’s construction industry. Its mandate includes registering and classifying contractors, maintaining a database of certified builders, and weeding out rogue operators. Every contractor undertaking construction works in Kenya is legally required to be registered with the NCA. Operating without registration is a criminal offence under the NCA Act. A contractor working without registration cannot legally be on your site. Their presence alone exposes you to enforcement action and invalidates your building permit in the eyes of county authorities. You can verify contractor registration directly at the NCA Kenya official portal. The full NCA regulatory framework in Kenya explains what the authority does and how it enforces compliance.

Understanding NCA Contractor Categories

The NCA classifies contractors into eight categories — NCA1 at the highest capacity end (unlimited project value, large-scale infrastructure and complex buildings) through to NCA8 at the entry level (small works, limited project value). Each category specifies the maximum project value the contractor is legally permitted to undertake, the technical personnel they must have on staff, and the financial capacity requirements they must meet.

Hiring a contractor outside their NCA category range is not just legally problematic — it is practically dangerous. An NCA7 contractor managing a KES 30 million project lacks the management systems, financial capacity, and technical personnel to run it properly. The project will suffer. Using the NCA’s contractor search tool is free, fast, and gives you the contractor’s registered category instantly. Do not skip this.

The Single Most Important Red Flag

“We work under another company’s NCA licence.” Walk away immediately from any contractor who says this. Working under another company’s licence is a common fraud mechanism. The licenced company has no involvement in your project and no accountability for how it is managed. If the project goes wrong, you have no legal recourse against the registered entity. This practice is illegal under the NCA Act. Any contractor who suggests it is telling you, directly, that they are willing to operate outside the law.

The full documentation requirements for contractors before starting a construction project in Kenya provides a comprehensive checklist of what you should collect before signing anything. That checklist is your due diligence baseline, not an optional extra. The legal risks of hiring unlicensed engineers and contractors in Kenya are equally important to understand — the liabilities run both ways.

Step Four: The Vetting Process — What to Ask and What to Verify

Checking NCA registration is necessary but not sufficient. An NCA-registered contractor can still deliver poor quality work, mismanage project funds, or fail to communicate adequately with a diaspora client. Proper vetting requires you to go beyond the registration check and assess the contractor’s actual track record and operational capacity.

Portfolio Review: What to Look for in Past Projects

Ask for a portfolio of at least five completed projects, with photographs, addresses, and the names of the clients you can contact. For diaspora projects specifically, ask whether they have previously managed construction for clients who were based abroad during the project. If yes, ask for contact details of those clients. Nothing tells you more about a contractor’s communication discipline, transparency, and remote management capability than speaking to someone who has already been through the experience you are about to have.

When you review project photos, look beyond the cosmetic finishes. Ask specifically for photos from different stages — foundation, slab, walling, roofing, and finishing. A contractor with a legitimate track record will have photos from throughout the project lifecycle, not just polished completion shots. Look at the quality of concrete work, the consistency of brickwork, and whether the structural elements appear sound. If you have a trusted engineer or architect contact in Kenya, ask them to review the portfolio with you on a video call. Structural engineers in Kenya can identify quality issues in photos that a non-specialist would miss entirely.

The Video Interview: How to Assess a Contractor Remotely

Schedule a video call — Zoom, Google Meet, or WhatsApp — with the contractor’s principal or project manager before you shortlist them. The video call is not a formality. It is an assessment. You are evaluating their professionalism, their communication clarity, their understanding of your project, and their honesty about what they can and cannot do.

Come prepared with specific questions. What was the most challenging project they managed for a diaspora client? How did they handle it? What is their system for keeping remote clients informed of progress? How do they manage material procurement — do they use established suppliers with receipts and invoices? What is their policy if a client is unhappy with quality at a particular stage? Listen carefully not just to what they say but how they say it. A contractor who deflects, gives vague answers, or seems irritated by your questions is showing you exactly how they will behave when problems arise on your project.

Financial Checks: What You Can Verify Remotely

You cannot conduct a full financial audit of a Kenyan contractor from abroad, but you can perform three basic checks. First, confirm they have a company bank account — not just a personal account or M-Pesa number — and that all contract payments will go to that company account. Second, request their KRA Tax Compliance Certificate, which confirms they are registered with the Kenya Revenue Authority and current on their tax obligations. A contractor with tax compliance issues is a contractor with financial management problems. Third, ask for proof of insurance: contractor’s all-risk insurance and public liability insurance are the minimum you should require. Construction insurance types in Kenya cover these and additional risk categories relevant to your specific project.

The Red Flags: Ten Signs You Are About to Hire the Wrong Contractor

Experience — unfortunately, often hard-won experience — produces a consistent list of warning signs. If you encounter any of the following during your vetting process, stop. Do not proceed. Do not let urgency, pressure, or a compelling pitch override the data in front of you.

• No valid NCA registration, or an expired certificate. This is an absolute disqualifier. There is no grey area.
• Demands full payment — or a large proportion — before any work begins. Mobilisation advances of 10–15% are normal. Anything above 30% upfront is a red flag.
• Cannot provide a company bank account. Legitimate construction companies have business accounts. Payments to personal M-Pesa numbers give you zero financial accountability trail.
• Refuses to sign a formal written contract, or insists that a WhatsApp message or verbal agreement is enough.
• Has no verifiable completed projects or real references you can contact independently.
• Claims to work under another company’s NCA licence. This is fraud. Report it to the NCA.
• Communication happens entirely on personal WhatsApp with no official email, company letterhead, or business address.
• Their quote is dramatically lower than every other bid. A quote 40% below market rates does not mean they are efficient. It means something is missing from what they plan to deliver.
• They actively discourage independent site supervision. A contractor who resists having an independent supervisor on site is a contractor who does not want their work verified.
• They cannot produce a KRA Tax Compliance Certificate or any formal business documentation on request.

The collapsed building in South C, Nairobi in early January 2026 serves as a stark reminder of what happens when oversight fails. NCA investigations confirmed the structure was non-compliant, with enforcement notices having been issued multiple times before the collapse. The NCA4-registered contractor in that case had the registration credentials — but executed the project outside safe construction norms. This is why NCA registration is necessary but not sufficient. It must be paired with independent supervision and active milestone verification.

Step Five: Structuring the Contract to Protect Yourself

A construction contract is not bureaucracy. It is the legal foundation that determines whether you can hold anyone accountable when something goes wrong. For a diaspora investor managing a project remotely, a well-structured contract is the single most powerful protection you have.

What Must Be in Your Construction Contract

Kenya’s construction contracts for private residential and commercial projects are primarily governed by the Joint Building Council (JBCC) Green Book — the Agreement and Conditions of Contract for Building Works, developed by the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) and KABCEC. For smaller projects or where a licensed contractor is used directly without a professional team, a simpler but still comprehensive bespoke contract is appropriate. Whatever form it takes, these elements must be present:

Have a Kenyan construction lawyer review the contract before you sign. The Law Society of Kenya maintains a register of practising advocates, and many specialize in property and construction law. The cost of a one-hour contract review is a small fraction of your project value. It is one of the highest-return investments in your whole project. If a contractor refuses to allow you time to have a lawyer review the contract, or pressures you to sign immediately, that is a red flag of the highest order.

Step Six: The Independent Site Supervisor — Your Most Important Investment

If there is one thing that separates successful diaspora construction projects from failed ones, it is this: the presence of an independent site supervisor who reports exclusively to you, not to the contractor.

An independent site supervisor — whether a clerk of works, a structural engineer, a quantity surveyor, or an architect acting as contract administrator — is your eyes on the ground. They verify that work is being done according to the drawings and specifications. They check that the materials being used match what was agreed in the contract. They catch problems early, before they become expensive. And critically, they certify each milestone before you release payment, so you never pay for work that has not been done or work that has been done badly.

The full scope of a clerk of works’ responsibilities in a construction project covers everything from quality inspection to site records, material testing, and reporting. The structural engineer’s responsibilities in Kenyan projects include verifying that the structural elements — foundation, columns, beams, and slabs — are built to the engineered specifications. These are not overlapping roles. Ideally, you want both: a clerk of works for day-to-day site presence and a structural engineer for periodic structural inspections at key milestones.

How the Independent Supervisor Protects You

Here is a concrete example. Your contractor invoices for the completed ground floor slab. Without an independent supervisor, you release payment because you have received a photo of what looks like a complete slab. With an independent supervisor, they inspect the slab before you pay. They discover that the reinforcement cover — the distance between the steel bars and the concrete surface, which protects the steel from corrosion — is insufficient. They also find that the concrete mix was weaker than specified. They report this to you, the contractor is required to address the defects before payment is released, and you avoid paying for a structurally compromised slab that would cost far more to fix later.

This is not a hypothetical. Testing requirements for buildings in Kenya specify exactly these types of quality checks. Concrete slump tests, compressive strength tests, and rebar placement checks are standard practice on supervised sites. On unsupervised diaspora projects, they are often skipped entirely.

The cost of an independent site supervisor is typically between 2% and 5% of the project value. It is not an optional luxury. It is the most reliable insurance you can buy against construction fraud and quality failures. Site meeting procedures in construction projects give you the framework for how these meetings are structured and documented — your supervisor should be running regular site meetings and giving you written records of every one.

Step Seven: Managing Payments from Abroad Without Getting Burned

Payment management is where diaspora projects most commonly fail. The failure pattern is consistent: the client, wanting to demonstrate good faith and keep the contractor motivated, sends money ahead of schedule or in response to pressure. The contractor, having received more than they need for the current stage, diverts funds to other projects or personal use. Your project stalls. The excuses begin. And extracting a refund from a contractor who has already spent your money is expensive, time-consuming, and often impossible.

The Milestone Payment Framework

Milestone-based payments are non-negotiable for any diaspora construction project. Every payment must correspond to a specific, verified achievement on site. Here is a standard milestone schedule for a residential project in Kenya, adjusted for diaspora management:

Never deviate from this schedule regardless of how sympathetic the contractor’s story is. A contractor who runs out of money mid-project due to poor financial management is a risk you should not absorb. A contractor who asks for payment ahead of schedule — “to buy materials” — should be told that payment follows milestone verification, and any advance for materials must be supported by supplier quotes and confirmed through your supervisor. Current steel bar prices in Kenya and concrete contractor rates in Kenya give you independent benchmarks to check whether the material costs your contractor quotes are reasonable.

How to Send Payments Safely from Abroad

All significant payments should go to the contractor’s registered company bank account — not personal M-Pesa, not personal bank accounts, not third-party accounts. Every payment should be accompanied by a written request referencing the specific contract milestone it covers, and you should receive a written receipt or payment acknowledgement for every transfer. Keep a payment ledger: date, amount, reference, milestone. This documentation is your primary evidence if you ever need to pursue a legal claim.

For very large projects, consider using a local escrow arrangement where a third-party professional — a lawyer or a trust company — holds milestone payments and releases them to the contractor on confirmation from your independent supervisor that the milestone has been achieved. This adds a layer of process, but it eliminates the payment timing disputes that destroy project relationships. Construction financing options in Kenya include some structures that incorporate payment management mechanisms — worth exploring if your project is large enough to justify the arrangement.

Remote Site Management: Staying in Control Without Being on the Ground

You cannot fly to Nairobi every time a wall goes up or a slab is poured. But being abroad does not mean being passive. Active remote management — disciplined, systematic, and consistent — is the difference between a project you control and one that controls you.

Weekly Reporting Requirements

Your contract should require the contractor to submit a weekly progress report every Friday, covering: work completed that week, materials received and used, workers on site, any issues encountered and proposed resolutions, and photographs of current site conditions. The report should go to both you and your independent supervisor. The supervisor reviews it for accuracy and flags any discrepancies with what they observed on the ground.

Set up a shared project folder — Google Drive, Dropbox, or a similar service — where all site photographs, material delivery receipts, and progress reports are uploaded as they occur. This creates a chronological record of your project that is available to you in real time, regardless of time zone. If a dispute ever arises, this folder is your evidence base.

Video Call Site Inspections

At every major milestone, conduct a video call site inspection. Ask the supervisor or contractor to walk around the site with the camera on, narrating what you are seeing. Prepare specific questions in advance — “show me the reinforcement in the beam,” “show me the window frame installation,” “walk me to the rear elevation.” A contractor who is comfortable being on video on site has nothing to hide. One who always has an excuse for why a live video call is not possible at a particular time deserves your deepest suspicion.

Smart home technologies are increasingly part of Kenyan construction for diaspora clients — including remote site camera installations that allow real-time viewing from abroad. Smart home technologies available in Kenya include IP camera systems that can be configured during construction to give you a live feed of your site 24 hours a day. For high-value projects, this investment is modest relative to the protection it provides.

What to Do When Things Go Wrong

Problems on construction sites are not exceptional. Rain delays happen. Materials are sometimes unavailable. Workers fall ill. What defines a good contractor is not the absence of problems — it is how they respond when problems occur. A trustworthy contractor notifies you immediately, proposes solutions, documents the event, and requests the appropriate contract mechanism — an extension of time, a variation, a material substitution — through the proper channels in the contract.

A bad contractor conceals problems, hoping you will not notice. By the time you do, the problem has compounded. This is why active management and independent supervision are so important. Your supervisor should know what is happening on site before the contractor gets around to telling you. If your supervisor and your contractor’s account of the same site event differ materially — stop payments and investigate before proceeding.

Specific Entities and Institutions You Need to Know

Navigating Kenya’s construction industry from abroad is easier when you understand the key institutions involved. These are not abstract bodies. They are specific organisations that regulate, represent, and serve Kenya’s construction sector — and knowing how to engage with them gives you leverage that uninformed diaspora investors lack.

The National Construction Authority (NCA) — Regulator

The NCA, headquartered on Aga Khan Walk, Nairobi, is your most important institutional contact. It registers contractors, investigates complaints about contractor misconduct, and can suspend or cancel the registration of contractors found to be operating fraudulently or below required standards. If your contractor is registered with the NCA and defrauds you, filing a formal complaint with the NCA puts pressure on them that goes beyond financial — it threatens their ability to legally operate in Kenya. The NCA’s online portal at nca.go.ke is where you verify registrations, register your project (which is also a legal requirement), and access their complaints mechanism. All foreign and local contractors must register with NCA through its online portal before conducting any construction operations in Kenya.

The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) — Professional Standards

If your project involves an architect — which it should for any project above basic renovations — verify that they are registered with the AAK. The AAK maintains a register of licensed architects and enforces professional standards. An AAK-registered architect acting as Contract Administrator on your project provides an additional layer of professional accountability. They have ethical obligations to administer the contract fairly, regardless of who is paying them. Their PI insurance means that if their professional negligence causes you loss, you have a recoverable claim. The scope of services for architects in Kenya defines what you should expect from a fully engaged architect on your project.

The Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK) — Cost Management

A registered quantity surveyor from the IQSK is the professional who gives you independent cost certainty. They prepare Bills of Quantities that itemise every element of your project with quantities and rates, providing a detailed basis for comparing contractor quotes. They conduct interim valuations to confirm what work has been done before you pay. They manage the variation account — keeping track of changes from the original scope and their cost impact. For any project above KES 3 million, the cost of a QS is justified many times over by the savings they generate in preventing overpayment and managing variations. Current labour rates for construction workers in Kenya and excavation rates by region help you do a basic sanity check on whether your QS’s figures are in line with the market.

The Institute of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) — Structural Oversight

Your structural engineer must be registered with the Institute of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) and licensed by the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK). They are responsible for the structural design — foundations, columns, beams, slabs, roof structure — and for periodic site inspection to verify that their design is being implemented correctly. The legal requirements for hiring licensed engineers in Kenya make clear that using an unlicensed structural engineer exposes your building to regulatory rejection and insurance voidance. The foundation types suitable for different Kenyan soils are determined by your structural engineer based on the geotechnical survey findings.

Material Quality: The Hidden Battleground of Diaspora Construction

Material substitution is one of the most common and financially damaging forms of contractor fraud in diaspora construction. The contract specifies 32.5N cement. The contractor uses 32.5R — cheaper, lower quality. The contract specifies Y12 steel bars. The contractor uses a lighter gauge that costs less per kilogram. You are in the UK. The materials look the same in photographs. The difference only becomes apparent when the building is tested by time, load, or a structural inspection.

Preventing material fraud requires three systems operating simultaneously. First, your contract must specify materials by brand, grade, and standard — not just by category. Portland cement types available in the Kenyan market and steel bar types and prices give you the baseline knowledge to specify correctly. Second, your independent supervisor must inspect material deliveries as they arrive on site — checking delivery notes against specifications and reporting immediately if the wrong material is delivered. Third, require delivery receipts for all major material purchases to be submitted to you — cement in bags, steel in tonnes, aggregate in loads. Cross-reference these against the quantities your QS calculated in the Bill of Quantities. A significant shortfall between materials purchased and quantities required for the scope done is evidence of diversion.

The challenges around cement quality in Kenya are an important background issue that your site supervisor should be alert to. Not all branded cement currently on the market meets the expected quality standards, and your supervisor should be conducting basic site tests — slump tests, cube tests — to verify that concrete batches meet design strength requirements. Concrete slump testing and certified materials testing laboratories in Kenya provide the quality assurance mechanisms that professional construction projects in Kenya rely on.

Common Mistakes Diaspora Investors Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Thousands of diaspora Kenyans have been through this process before you. The mistakes they made are well-documented and, crucially, avoidable. Here are the most damaging ones.

Trusting a Relative to Manage the Project

This is the most emotionally uncomfortable advice in this guide, but it is necessary. Appointing a relative or trusted friend — rather than a qualified professional — to oversee your construction project is one of the most common routes to project failure. Your relative may be the most trustworthy person you know. But if they are not a qualified construction professional, they do not know what they are looking at when they visit the site. They cannot evaluate whether the concrete mix is correct, whether the reinforcement placement is adequate, or whether the contractor is using the specified materials. Good intentions are not a substitute for technical qualification. Hire a professional supervisor. Tell your relative they are the communication point and community contact. Keep the technical oversight in professional hands.

Choosing the Cheapest Quote

The cheapest quote in a set of three is almost never the right choice. A quote significantly below the others either reflects materials the contractor plans to cut corners on, labour they plan to underpay, or profit they plan to make through variation claims once you are committed and cannot easily switch. If all three quotes are similar, the lowest is worth examining. If one is dramatically lower, the question you should be asking is: what are they planning to leave out?

Communicating Only Through the Contractor

Your independent supervisor should have the ability to communicate with you directly, bypassing the contractor. If all information about your site reaches you through the contractor — filtered, curated, and timed as they see fit — you do not have independent oversight. You have contractor-managed information. Establish a direct line to your supervisor and make clear that you expect to hear from them independently of what the contractor reports.

Neglecting the Approvals Process

Building permits, structural approvals, and NCA project registration are not optional extras that can be dealt with later. They are legal requirements that affect the validity of your building, your ability to insure it, and your ability to sell it. A building constructed without a valid permit is not a legal structure. Land survey requirements in Kenya and the building plan submission process must be completed before excavation begins. Understanding Kenya’s housing approval process more broadly puts these requirements in context. Your architect should manage the approvals process — this is a core part of their professional service.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring a Contractor in Kenya from Abroad