Chinese contractors developed turnaround time for Kenyan real estate sector: Expert

Chinese contractors are playing a positive role in the housing market in Kenya. This is what revealed by the Executive Director of the Land Development and Governance Institute, Mwenda Makathimo recently on January 23. The Institute is widely known for advocating for land justice by empowering local communities in Kenya.

Mwenda Makathimo has claimed that the Chinese contractors have improved the turnaround time for the real estate sector. According to Makathimo, the Chinese contractors have increased the supply of affordable houses and hence help to stabilize the price of houses in Kenya, as reported by Xinhua.

The report recommends the government to computerize land records in order to ensure easy and faster retrieval of information. He further added that the real estate players from the Asian nation have injected a lot of discipline and efficiency in Kenya's construction sector. He is the former chairman of the Institute of Surveyors of Kenya and the ex-Commissioner of the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission.

"Kenyan contractors can learn a lot from their Chinese counterparts and borrow techniques to use to reduce the housing deficit," he said.

According to the Land Development and Governance Institute, the prices of houses have remained beyond the reach of many ordinary citizens due to the high cost of land, especially in the urban centers. He has observed that Chinese contractors have been able to lower the cost of housing units by delivering a large number of houses per unit of land.