NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 13 – The Real Estate Stakeholders Association (RESA) has dismissed as misleading a recent report by an architects’ association claiming that 85 per cent of buildings in Kenya are substandard.
Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on Monday, RESA strongly opposed the findings, saying the claims were unsubstantiated and risked undermining public confidence in the country’s real estate sector.
In a statement read by the association’s spokesperson, Perminus Kariuki of Nyota Njema Real Estate, RESA noted that architects are directly involved in the design and approval of most developments undertaken by its members and had not raised compliance concerns during the approval stages.
“While we fully acknowledge the need for continuous enforcement of building standards and the elimination of illegal developments, such a sweeping statement is misleading, alarmist, and unsupported by verified data,” Kariuki said.
“It unfairly undermines public confidence in Nairobi’s real estate sector and risks causing unnecessary panic among property owners, investors, and tenants.”
RESA Chairman Dr Chrispus Wachira of Almond Properties reaffirmed that all members of the association comply with existing construction laws and regulatory requirements.
He said RESA enforces internal self-regulation mechanisms, including mandatory display of compliance certificates at construction sites.
“We came together as an association to self-regulate and to end the blanket blame that has often been placed on investors,” Wachira said.
“We urge that individual companies and stakeholders responsible for substandard buildings be held accountable, rather than condemning the entire sector for the actions of a few.”
The association’s lobbying committee chairperson, Surveyor Kigathi Kionywe of Hotstep Holdings Ltd, said RESA conducts annual renewal of members’ certificates and takes disciplinary action against firms found to be non-compliant.
“If a company is found to be non-compliant, its membership is not renewed, and the public is formally notified that it is no longer part of RESA,” Kionywe stated.
RESA also addressed allegations linking Kenya’s real estate sector to money laundering, following the ongoing Minnesota money laundering investigations.
Vice Chairperson Zuena Wambui distanced the association from the claims, stating that RESA does not condone illicit financial activities and supports ongoing investigations by Kenyan and US authorities.
“RESA and its members are not involved in money laundering or the use of real estate as a vehicle for illegal financial flows,” Wambui said.
“We encourage thorough, independent investigations by the Government of Kenya, its relevant agencies, and enforcement institutions in the United States.”
