Kenyan Built Environment Bodies Reject Proposed Regulatory Bill, Demands Comprehensive Reforms
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 24 – A coalition of major professional associations in Kenya’s built environment sector has jointly rejected the Architectural and Quantity Surveying Practitioners Bill, 2026 in its current form, calling on Parliament to suspend its consideration and institute broad-based structural reforms.
In a joint press briefing on Monday, the Interior Designers Association of Kenya, the Association of Construction Managers of Kenya, and The Architects Alliance argued that while they support professional regulation, the proposed legislation adopts a flawed, blanket approach that undermines distinct professional disciplines.
The associations highlighted several critical flaws in the proposed legislation:
● Overreaching Scope: Though titled around architecture and quantity surveying, the Bill attempts to consolidate architects, quantity surveyors, interior designers, landscape architects, construction project managers, and technicians under a single regulatory board.
● Threat to Autonomy: The groups warned that grouping distinct professions each with unique educational requirements, bodies of knowledge, and scopes of practice under one body risks allowing one profession to dominate another.
● Inadequate Representation: A single representative seat per discipline on a centralized board does not constitute meaningful self-regulation or specialist oversight.
● Regulatory Ambiguity: Crucial issues such as licensing, fee structures, discipline, and educational standards are left to a structure that may lack the specialized competence required for each field.
To address these concerns, the coalition presented a list of core demands to the National Assembly:
Legislative Action : Reject the Architectural and Quantity Surveying Practitioners Bill, 2026 in its current form and suspend its movement.
Leadership Accountability: Demand the immediate resignation of Hon. Joseph K. Tanui, Chair of the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning, and Public Works (and sponsor of the Bill), citing a conflict of interest.
Stakeholder Review: Convene an inclusive national stakeholder consultation to re-evaluate the regulatory framework.
Historical Alignment: Review existing research, including previous proposals on built environment regulation developed by the Coalition of Built Environment Professionals (CBEP) and Prof. Alfred Omenya.
Framework Development: Draft a comprehensive Built Environment Professions framework that establishes clear scopes of practice alongside profession-specific regulatory structures.
“This is not a fight between professions. It is about getting regulation right, Kenya needs coordinated regulation, professional autonomy, clear accountability, and public protection not professional hierarchy”, they said.
“Let us not legislate for yesterday’s construction industry. Let us legislate for the Kenya we are building tomorrow.”
The professional bodies urged lawmakers to pivot toward a cohesive framework that preserves individual discipline autonomy while safeguarding public interest across the broader construction and built-environment sectors.
