NCA unveils inaugural awards celebrating excellence

Kamau Daniel and Gesora Minax-KNA

The National Construction Authority (NCA) has launched the inaugural Construction Excellence Awards as part of the Annual Contractors Conference initiative aimed at recognizing, rewarding, and institutionalizing excellence, safety, and innovation within Kenya’s construction industry.

The event attracted contractors, regulators, developers and key stakeholders from across the 47 counties, all gathered to discuss transformative reforms in the sector under the National Building Code, 2024.

Presiding over the launch, the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, Alice Wahome, praised NCA’s efforts in aligning policy and performance through this awards platform.

“This pairing of regulation and recognition is the alignment we need to deliver our national development agenda. Those who build right, build the future,” Wahome emphasized.

The CS noted that since the National Building Code, 2024 came into effect in March, incidents of building collapsing have significantly reduced.

She attributed this progress to enhanced enforcement, inter-agency collaboration, digitized approvals, and mandatory compliance frameworks for developers and contractors.

“Public safety is a public service priority. Every safe building spare family from tragedy and businesses from disruption,” Wahome stated, highlighting the code’s life-saving impact.

Additionally, she announced the accreditation of over 25,000 skilled construction workers and site supervisors, a direct outcome of increased engagement, training, and awareness driven by the government and NCA.

This effort, according to the CS, supports the Affordable Housing Programme, which currently has over 175,000 units under construction, and a pipeline of an additional 450,000 units.

The newly launched Construction Excellence Awards, she noted, are not merely ceremonial, but represent a strategic lever to embed the National Building Code into everyday practice across the sector.

Wahome added that contractors and professionals will be recognized for compliance, innovation, and high standards.

“The awards are a rallying point, a call for peer learning, capacity building, and investment in professionalism,” she reiterated as she officially launched both the awards and the Contractors Conference.

Wahome said applications for the awards will be open for 30 days, after which a rigorous vetting process will follow.

She said starting July 1st, 2025, the government had transitioned to full e-procurement, aimed at curbing corruption and ensuring transparency in tendering processes. She cautioned contractors against malpractice such as falsifying tax returns or submitting fake bank guarantees.

“From now, interaction with procurement is digital and transparent. If you lose a tender, it will be on merit, not manipulation,” the CS said, adding that only compliant contractors would qualify for future projects.

She further urged contractors to embrace professional support, including procurement officers and legal counsel to improve their competitiveness in an increasingly standardized sector.

Highlighting the government’s commitment to empowering local players, Wahome affirmed that most current housing and infrastructure projects are being implemented by Kenyan contractors and not foreign firms.

“If Kenyan firms cannot deliver a Sh1 billion project, how will we compete globally? This work belongs to Kenyans,” posed Wahome, warning against unethical practices such as withholding payments from subcontractors.

She pointed out that integrity and timely delivery are crucial, especially under the affordable housing agenda, which has already disbursed payments to contractors based on verified certificates.

Speaking at the event, the Principal Secretary (PS) for Public Works, Joel Arumonyang, lauded NCA for organizing the forum, insisting that the National Building Code is a national tool for safer, smarter, and more accountable construction.

“These awards are a mechanism to embed the building code into the DNA of our industry. We want contractors who lead through example and think of legacy, not just business,” Arumonyang asserted.

In her remarks, NCA Board Chairperson, Mercy Okiro, indicated that the Authority is focused on capacity building, inclusive training for women and youth, and deepening county-level engagement.