Built Environment Professionals Reject Architectural and Quantity Surveying Practitioners Bill, Demand Review

Built environment professionals address the media in Nairobi as they reject the proposed Architectural and Quantity Surveying Practitioners Bill in its current form, calling for a review of the legislation to ensure fair and effective regulation of the sector.

By: Gladys Karuga

A coalition of built environment professional associations has rejected the Architectural and Quantity Surveying Practitioners Bill, 2026, calling for its withdrawal in its current form and demanding a comprehensive review of how Kenya regulates professionals in the construction and built environment sector.

The Interior Designers Association of Kenya (IDAK), Association of Construction Managers of Kenya (ACMK) and The Architects Alliance said the proposed legislation attempts to regulate architects, quantity surveyors, interior designers, landscape architects, construction project managers and technicians under a single regulatory framework despite the professions having different areas of expertise, training, competencies and professional responsibilities.

The associations said they are not opposed to regulation but want a system that provides meaningful professional autonomy while protecting the public and clearly defining the responsibilities and scope of each profession.

Speaking during a media briefing the association argued that regulation of the built environment must evolve alongside the professions and the changing needs of the country.

They said Kenya's built environment sector has changed significantly since the establishment of the existing regulatory framework, noting that professions such as construction management and interior design were not formally established in their current form when the original regulatory structures were created.

The professionals also criticised what they described as excessive government-led regulation, arguing that professional associations should have a stronger role in regulating their respective professions.

The President of the Interior Designers Association of Kenya, Dr George Washington Karani, said interior design is a fully developed profession that should not be treated as decoration or placed under the control of another profession.

“Interior design is a mature profession that requires its own specific regulator, and therefore we cannot be put under the Architectural and Quantity Surveying Act of 2026.”

Karani said interior designers play a critical role in determining the safety, health, functionality and accessibility of indoor spaces, adding that the profession requires specialised education and professional regulation.

He further rejected the proposed representation model in which a single interior designer would sit on a broad regulatory board representing the interests of the profession.

The Association of Construction Managers of Kenya also questioned whether a single board would be capable of effectively regulating multiple distinct professions.

Nashon Okor, a council member and former president of the Association of Construction Managers of Kenya, said the proposed legislation should be viewed in the context of Kenya's long-term development rather than as a short-term regulatory solution.

“The construction of this sector requires a bill for the next 20 years.”

Okor said the current regulatory system has failed to adequately address challenges including building collapses, delays and cost overruns in projects, arguing that Kenya needs a modern framework capable of strengthening professional development and competitiveness.

He also raised concern over what he described as the dominance of foreign contractors and professionals in Kenya's construction sector, saying stronger professional regulation was necessary to enable local professionals to compete effectively.

The associations said previous research on the regulation of built environment professions, including work associated with Professor Alfred Omenya and the Coalition of Built Environment Professions, should be reviewed before Parliament proceeds with the current Bill.

They are calling on the National Assembly to reject the Architectural and Quantity Surveying Practitioners Bill, 2026 in its present form and refer the proposed reforms for comprehensive stakeholder consultation.

The professionals are also demanding an inclusive national process to develop legislation that clearly defines the scope of practice and responsibilities of each profession while establishing strong profession-specific regulatory structures.

They further called for the immediate resignation of the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works, Hon. Joseph K. Tanui, who they said is also the sponsor of the Bill, citing concerns over a potential conflict of interest.

The associations maintained that their opposition is not a dispute between professions but a call for a regulatory system that safeguards the public while allowing each profession to develop independently.

They also urged Parliament to consider the future needs of Kenya's rapidly changing built environment sector rather than retaining regulatory structures they consider outdated.

The coalition's formal demands include rejecting the Bill in its current form, referring the proposed reforms for comprehensive stakeholder review, formally considering previous research and policy proposals on built environment regulation, and initiating an inclusive process towards comprehensive legislation for the regulation and coordination of Kenya's built environment professions.

The professionals concluded that Kenya needs coordinated regulation, professional autonomy, accountability and public protection, rather than a system that places different professions under a single hierarchy.