Kenyan Builders Urged to Adopt Brazilian Technologies

Kenyan builders have been urged to embrace Brazilian building technologies to meet the rising demand for affordable housing in the country.

Speaking in Nairobi on Thursday during the KCB Group Developers Club pre-trip briefing to Brazil, Samuel Makome – the group’s chief business officer – said Brazil’s innovative architectural designs can be used to potentially solve Kenya’s housing woes.

Mr Makome said the trip would broaden the developers’ business scope while exposing them to modern architectural designs.

“We hope to transfer technologies and advancements in the developed economies to the real estate industry in this country and positively change the industry altogether,” he said.

The KCB Developers Club’s tour, scheduled to begin on February 29, will see 30 developers travel to Brazil to experience the South American country’s innovative building technology.

The annual trip seeks to expose local builders to modern construction methods and innovative building materials.

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The Brazil tour comes at a time when the rising house prices have made it impossible for many households to afford decent housing.

KCB, whose Developers Club comprises about 450 active members, recently registered its mortgage lending arm S&L as an independent construction firm that will build low-cost houses for the local middle class.

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KCB plans to use new construction technology for houses priced between Sh1 million and Sh3 million and is seeking seed funding from Brazil and Mexico.

Kenyan investors are increasingly looking to Italy, Brazil, China, Malaysia and other developed countries for technologies aimed at bringing down construction costs.

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