Construction technology to reduce housing costs

Use of new techniques guarantees building quality and promotes industry transformation

Kenya's construction sector is headed for a revolutionary change and less expensive housing is ahead after a move by Chinese construction firm China Wu Yi Co Ltd.

The company plans to set up a 10 billion Kenyan shilling ($98.6 million) mega construction material supermarket in Machakos county, south of Nairobi.

The proposed modern building industry base will sit on 12 hectares of land with a floor area of 58,300 square meters, serving as an industrial hub, manufacturing base, research and development, sale and demonstration center for new building technologies.

According to Wu Yi Chairman Qiu Liangxin, construction industrialization is a new technology that will become a top trend in the Kenyan construction field. He says it will not only revolutionize Kenya's construction sector but do the same for all of East Africa.

"The technology is becoming mature, which is why China is bringing it to Africa. Just like with automobile production, we will provide local people with high-quality, low-cost and environmentally friendly housing products," he says.

The new methods involve use of precast production and prefabricated construction. Prefab construction consists of factory-made components or units transported and assembled on site to form buildings.

Precast is a construction product (usually concrete) made by casting concrete in a reusable mold and then curing it in a controlled environment, transporting it to the construction site and lifting it into place.

Wu Yi is working with Ebawe Anlagetechnik, a German company, to supply equipment for the precast element production line.

Kenya's Industry, Trade and Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed says the new technology will help in speeding the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry.

He says it will shorten construction times and reduce costs by 50 percent, boosting the number of low-cost houses.

Kenya's urban centers face a shortage of 200,000 housing units annually, with only 50,000 new units built a year.

The average value for a one-to-three bedroom property is $139,026, according to HassConsult, a real estate firm in Kenya. The average rent for a one-to-three bedroom is $736.

Construction costs are 30 to 40 percent higher in Kenya than in many other countries, Britt Gwinn and Dean Cira note in Business Daily.

The availability of cheaper construction materials coupled with use of new construction technology is expected to prompt property developers to offer cheaper housing units.

"Once the project is completed, we expect developers to acquire materials 50 percent cheaper than the current import cost," Mohamed says.

He notes that the project is timely considering that building and construction is the fastest-growing sector in the country. "According to the 2016 Economic Survey, the building and construction sector registered the highest growth, 14 percent last year."

He says the project will transform national construction services, develop a low-cost housing ecosystem as well as develop local content that is required to support the local manufacturing sector.

Kennedy Keraro, assistant Machakos county commissioner, says the modern building base will play a key role in industrialization of Kenya as seen in the country's economic blueprint, Vision 2030.

Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya Yao Ming says the move by China Wu Yi is an early step toward China-Kenya industrialization cooperation. "By taking the step to invest in Kenya, it indicates that China Wu Yi is confident of Kenya's future," he says.

Once it begins to operate, the project is expected to produce 150,000 square meters (around 1,500 sets) of buildings annually. Qiu says houses will meet Chinese, European and Kenyan standards.

The supermarket will introduce Chinese construction materials like stone, ceramic tiles, bathroom appliances, electricals, hardware, lamps and lanterns, and kitchen furnishings.

"High-quality and fashionable construction materials and modern building technologies will facilitate the development of Kenya as well as drive the regional economy and create employment," says Qiu.

The project is expected to provide 500 to 800 jobs annually.

Once the construction of the production line and the construction materials supermarket is complete, Qiu says China Wu Yi will set up a steel plant in Mombasa with an annual capacity of 3 million metric tons in partnership with the Kenyan government.

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/26/2016 page27)