If Your's is a Sloppy Site, You Need to Know this Before you Build - Kenneth Oigo

Flash floods are with us again and, even though they present a big headache to urban dwellers, the greatest danger lies in rural, on-slope settlements.

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However, builders can avoid the risk of collapsing structures by building retaining walls, which are designed to resist the lateral pressure of soil when there is a desired change in ground elevation that exceeds the angle of repose of the soil.

Retaining walls are built in order to hold back ground, which would otherwise move downwards.

Their purpose is to stabilise slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, for example terraces for agriculture, buildings, roads and railways, dams, flower boxes, and basement walls.

Due to the constant lateral pressure that the retained soil applies on the wall, coupled with the ever-dynamic surcharge and water pressures, retaining walls are always under assault by these forces and, if not properly constructed or designed, they may fail, putting the lives of anyone in the vicinity at risk.

Basement walls may collapse, burying people alive, or dams may fail, sweeping entire populations under a massive wave of sudden floods in river towns downstream.

The main types of retaining walls are:

Gravity walls: These are the most basic retaining walls available in the design range. They depend on the weight of their mass to resist pressure from behind and often have the slight setback of improving stability by leaning back into the retained soil. For short landscaping walls, they are often made from mortarless stone or segmental concrete units. Dry-stacked gravity walls are somewhat flexible and do not require a rigid footing.

Cantilevered walls: Cantilevered retaining walls are made from an internal stem of steel-reinforced, cast-in-place concrete or mortared masonry, often in the shape of an inverted. These walls cantilever loads like a beam to a large, structural footing, converting horizontal pressure from behind the wall to vertical pressure on the ground below. Sometimes cantilevered walls are buttressed on the front, or include a counter fort on the back, to improve their strength, resisting high loads. Buttresses are short wing walls at right angles to the main trend of the wall. These walls require rigid concrete footings below seasonal frost depth. This type of wall uses much less material than a traditional gravity wall.

Sheet piling: Sheet pile retaining walls are usually used in soft soils and tight spaces. They are made out of steel, vinyl, or wood planks which are driven into the ground. Tall sheet pile walls will need a tie-back anchor, placed in the soil a distance behind the face of the wall that is tied to it, usually by a cable or a rod. Anchors are placed behind the potential failure plane in the soil.

Anchored walls: An anchored retaining wall can be constructed in any of the aforementioned styles but also includes additional strength using cables or other stays anchored in the rock or soil behind it. Anchors, usually driven into the material with boring, are then expanded at the end of the cable, either by mechanical means or often by injecting pressurised concrete, which expands to form a bulb in the soil. Technically complex, this method is useful where high loads are expected, or where the wall itself has to be slender and would otherwise be too weak.

There are basically two major ways through which retaining walls fail. These are:

Slip cycle failure: This is when the entire soil mass behind and under the structure becomes saturated with water, making the wall to slide in a circular manner as it gives way to the push of the lateral pressures behind it.

Failure by overturning: The wall is forced to overturn when the lateral pressure is more than the counteracting forces. This mainly happens when surcharge forces are added. This may affect basement walls that are subjected to access surcharge forces from vehicles parked too close to the wall, hence exerting too much pressure.

For maximum safety, the following points must be considered when installing a retaining wall:

When choosing materials, select the type that is best suited for the desired result. Many long-lasting materials are available in the market.

The type of wall you choose should be determined by need. Decide if you need a mass concrete wall or a less expensive pre-cast wall.

Most retaining walls fail because of pressure against the wall caused by water or soil-moisture build up behind the wall. All walls should provide for the back-of-wall water to freely drain down and away from the wall.

This is accomplished with gravel backfill or manufactured drainage blankets and drain pipes. Structural walls require “weep” holes to allow water to drain from behind the wall.

A wall is only as good as its foundation and all retaining walls should be built on structurally sound, compacted foundation sub-base material.

Levelled and compacted earth or gravel fills are acceptable. The foundation material should extend at least one foot beyond the front and back of the base width of the wall.

When building dry-laid stone walls, place the largest, most stable stones at the bottom of the wall and be aware that the base width may need to be as wide as the wall is high.

Walls are more stable and structurally secure if they slope back into the retained slope.

Timber walls and other walls of solid horizontal materials usually have “T” anchors extending back into the slope of undisturbed earth.

This helps walls to resist pressures that force them forward or cause them to pivot on footing material.

A good rule of thumb is to provide at least one anchor per 16 square feet of exposed wall face.

Source: Daily Nation

The Dangers of Buying a House Before it is Built

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When Elizabeth Lwali decided to buy a house, she looked for a bargain and found one that she has never regretted. Located in Embakasi, Nairobi, Ms Lwali’s house is a three-bedroom apartment with an en suite master bedroom.

Unlike many people who go for a completed house, Ms Lwali, an investment officer with a Nairobi-based pan-African housing finance and development institution, bought hers even before the foundation was laid. She was asked to pay a 20 per cent deposit when the construction started in October 2007. The amount also acted as the booking fees. She cleared the balance when the project was completed last year.

As the project was nearing completion, she arranged for finances to settle the balance. Her husband and she raised over 50 per cent of the money from their own sources. Ms Lwali paid the balance (30 per cent) through an employer mortgage scheme. There is already a tenant in the house. For Ms Lwali, the wait was worth it.

“It is always cheaper to buy at the beginning. I bought my unit for Sh3.5 million, but those who are buying similar units in the same project are paying almost double, at Sh6.5 million. I have made capital gains while doing nothing, literally.”

The process she followed in acquiring the house is called a pre-sale or buying on paper or buying on the plan — or simply buying off-plan.

Strictly speaking, a pre-sale refers to anything (a house in this case) sold before completion — whether half-way, quarter-way, or 90 per cent complete. This arrangement has become common in Kenya since the rebound of the real estate sector in Kenya over eight years ago. Experts estimate that about 60 per cent of new housing projects in the country are sold under pre-sale arrangement.

People go for this kind of arrangement because they are looking for a bargain as pre-sale houses are substantially cheaper than similar ones by the time the construction is completed.

As a buyer, it also gives you some “breathing space” to arrange for the financing. Pre-sales come with sweeteners — buyers are even allowed to pay the deposit in instalments. During the construction period, you can move from one bank to another, seeking mortgage financing.

Or if you are a business person, you can stagger your payments to your comfort. Off-plan selling also enables developers not to pump in their own money, relying on deposit instead. All in all, it is a risk management tool for both the developer and the buyer.

And as Ms Lwali attests, pre-sales can be gratifying. “My experience was good. I was not required to put in any additional money. “There were no ugly experiences. I did not have to insure anything. All I had to do was to make the necessary extra payments — including stamp duty, legal fees, and three-month service charge deposit, — when required.”

However, despite success stories like Ms Lwali’s, property experts are warning that pre-sale arrangements are not 100 per cent safe for buyers. Although they have obvious advantages they transfer an “excessive” level of construction risks to the buyers, most of who are looking for bargains.

“Pre-sales are not safe for buyers, especially at this time when the cost of building materials is on the increase, sometimes to a level that makes it not practically feasible to deliver the project at the proposed deadline and price,” says Mr Wilberforce Oundo, a director with Roack Consult.

Mr Oundo has witnessed many cases where, towards the end of a project’s completion, the developer asks buyers to top up their payments to match the prevailing market prices, in total disregard of the pre-sale contract signed, which clearly states the price.

“It is not unusual for developers to change prices at the end of construction. I have seen cases where a developer goes back to those who had booked and asks them to top up and refunds the money of those who are unable to increase their payments.

“Sometimes the depositors are also asked to pay any penalties or costs incurred. There are quite a number of such cases that have happened towards the end of the project,” he says.

Whereas some developers are forced by circumstances like unexpected jumps in the cost of building materials to renege on pre-sale agreements, most do it out of greed.

This has been so, especially given the rapid rise in property prices in major cities like Nairobi. According to Mr Oundo, most developers would rather return the deposit for units booked earlier, then sell them at a higher price.

“The developer’s argument is very simple: ‘I am in business and I want make more money. So, if you can’t give me the money then I would rather break the contract and sell this property at a higher price’,” he says.

Developers forced to increase prices because of higher cost of construction materials find comfort in the law.

The Architectural Association of Kenya contracts allow the contractor to vary the contract terms if the prices of some specified and principal materials increase beyond 15 per cent.

The contractor is not obliged to seek approval to vary the contract. Kenya’s property experts are not the only ones urging buyers to exercise caution with pre-sales.

In its new book, Housing Finance Policy in Emerging Markets, the World Bank says pre-sales can be risky for the consumer.

“Problems occur when there is no construction lending but large advances paid by the consumers, and the developer fails to deliver the expected housing product — in terms of quality, time, and price — leaving households to take the whole risk and face dire legal straits in trying to recover their advances (deposits),” says the book.

According to the publication, consumers, especially those who earn low or moderate incomes, frequently commit all their savings to make a down payment. Should the project or developer fail, individual consumers rarely have the resources to pursue a case in court to recover their deposits, which is unlikely when the developer is bankrupt or has been left with insufficient assets.

“If the unit that is delivered does not meet promised standards, a consumer who pre-purchased it with a mortgage has little recourse except to default on the mortgage and pass the problem on to his or her lender,” it says, noting that this is the main cause of the few non-performing mortgage loans in China.

In particular, it notes, consumers are usually ill-equipped to judge progress or quality of construction of a large development project. “Several scandals of this nature have been made public,” says the report.

Another disadvantage of pre-sales is that they presume that one’s (financial) circumstances will remain the same or improve for the entire construction period.

Usually, one is given 14 or 30 days to complete the payment upon issuance of the certificate of occupation. But sometimes your circumstances have since changed and you may no longer qualify for a mortgage and are unable to get alternative funding.

Sometimes people lose jobs before completion of the construction. Mr Oundo says the most heart-rending case of a pre-sale gone sour was that of a friend who paid a 30 per cent deposit, then lost his job towards the end of the project last year.

“He was buying a Sh15 million house on Kiambu Road and signed the contract, confident that nothing would happen to his job,” he says.

Things were made worse by the fact that the sale contract was lopsided. It said that in the event of default, he had to pay interest on the outstanding balance.

He ended up losing the 30 per cent deposit (Sh5 million) and another Sh3 million in penalties, forfeitures, and interest.

The contract did not have a provision for varying the price, but it clearly stated that in the event of default, the purchaser would forfeit 20 per cent of the deposit paid as well as pay interest at the prevailing bank interest rates on a monthly basis in the event he was unable to complete the payment.

“The developer’s argument was, if he had not booked the property, someone else would have bought it.

“He was supposed to pay the remaining 70 per cent within 30 days after practical completion. Unfortunately, he lost his job about a month to the completion date,” says ms Oundo.

Lesson: Buyers need to ensure that the pre-sale contract they sign is foolproof and does not leave room for any changes/amendments instigated by the developer.

The recourse, Mr Oundo notes, lies in ensuring that the sale agreement is so tight that it has no provision for varying the price or refunding the deposit.

If that is included in the contract, he says, then the only recourse you have is to go to court and seek specific-performance — that the developer is obligated to deliver to you the product/property instead of giving you the money.

Source: Daily Nation

Rise of the Gated Community - Eagle Plains Estate off Mombasa Road

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Hidden off Mombasa Road, about 50 metres behind Panari Hotel, lies Eagles Plain — a breathtaking residential housing estate. It is in close proximity to the city centre and industrial area in a mixed zone and on the way to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. According to the architect, Andrew Kimani of FNDA Architecture, the estate is erected on a 28-acre plot that holds 307 units.

The single-storied houses have four spacious bedrooms with three bathrooms and a master ensuite. They also have a lounge, dining area, fitted kitchen with a pantry and a detached servant’s quarter. The houses are being sold at Sh11 million up from the initial price of Sh6m. Those who want to rent will have to part with Sh50,000 or more every month.

Surrounding commercial centres like Capital Centre, Panari Sky Centre, Nakumatt Hyper, Nakumatt Embakasi and Metro-Stores along Nairobi-Mombasa Highway caters for major shopping. There is a small shop within the estate for fast moving commodities like milk and bread. Plans are in place to build a commercial centre within the estate.

Each house sits on a 24 by 10 metre space and has cabro worked driveways and a back and front yard. The gated estate has concrete block paving and well-lit landscaped pedestrian walkways. It also enjoys a 24-hour security, which is reinforced by a police post right outside the gate.

Accessing the estate, however, is a challenge and many residents are forced to use a small footpath from Mombasa Road via Nakumatt godown. When it rains it becomes impassable. The main entrance is either through Road C off Enterprise Road or Road C off Likoni Link Road just before Parkside Towers on Mombasa Road. The residents are waiting for the completion of Enterprise Road which begun in 2008 but has since stalled.

By Wangeci Kanyeki - Standard Media

The smart estate concept

Imagine living in a middle-income neighbourhood where all houses boast a fresh coat of environmentally-friendly, same-colour paint; security guards are clad in matching colours; and all vehicles sport waste bags and stickers preaching green tips.

Outside, the streets are clearly marked and an estate map is readily available. The roads are clean and well-maintained, and street-lighting is perfectly working. As if that is not enough, the neighbourhood boasts a botanical garden and a resource centre with information on best environmental practices. Here, everything feels fresh and appeals to the eye. It is serene, harmonious, orderly and breath-taking. It is smart.

Sounds far-fetched? Well, not really. Something like that may soon be coming near you, courtesy of a new concept dubbed ‘Smart Estate’.

The model project will be a collaborative effort between the Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (Kara) and members of neighbourhood associations with support from like-minded corporate organisations.

They will work closely with local authorities and relevant watchdogs like the National Environment Management Authority (Nema). Its main aim is to improve the quality and standard of residential areas through sound environmental management.

“The whole project is anchored on the need to inculcate good environmental management practices among residents. We want to encourage environmental sustainability in residential estates,” says Henry Ochieng, the programme officer at Kara.

Ochieng’ says that, for a start, the project targets middle-income estates “with some sort of order”. By this, he means they must have perimeter walls and ample open space, and that’s why Ngei II Estate in Nairobi’s Lang’ata area has been chosen as a pilot.

Developed by the National Housing Corporation in 1974, Ngei II Estate is a middle-income neighbourhood with 300 housing units, and boasts a lot of open space. If successful, the project will be replicated in other middle-income residential areas across Nairobi and the entire country.

About Sh24.5 million is required to complete the whole project. Residents will be required to chip in financially or “use their connections” to get individuals or organisations to sponsor various aspects of the project. In developing Ngei II as a smart estate, the project is going to focus mainly on waste management, parking, security and aesthetics (physical outlook).

All the activities are aimed at enhancing the aesthetic and visual harmony of the neighbourhood. However, Ochieng says they will guarantee that the intended re-designing of the estate meets the needs of the local residents. It is generally recognised that the quality of people’s homes is influenced by the spaces around them, and how those spaces are utilised.

There is an increasing recognition that well-designed and managed green spaces, roads and lawns next to housing developments contribute to people’s quality of life and make residential areas better places to live in. People should be able to open their front doors and step out onto attractive and clean streets that make them feel good.

Realising this goal is going to be a major plank in the Ngei II smart estate project. Residents will renovate all the buildings and have them repainted in one colour, if possible. They will then repaint their gates with colours matching the surrounding, and install clear and well-coloured signposts indicating the direction of the estate before the main gate.

This will be complemented by user-friendly maps indicating direction to different houses and house numbers. The new dawn will also see the use of fences that are as natural as possible, but which provide maximum security. Well-maintained lawns and flowerbeds outside every house will be a common feature.

“You can only live long when the environment is conducive and habitable. Under the smart project, we are required to plant as many trees as possible, especially in the open spaces, so that the neighbourhood can conform to what is called a Green Estate in the Sun,” says Major Moses Mulehi, the chairman of Ngei II Residents Association.

He says the project will help in instilling a “culture of environmental consciousness,” thus enhancing the quality of the environment. “In Ngei II, we insist that if you want to modify your house — let’s say you want to expand your servant quarter — we must be involved so that you don’t end up interfering with the general appearance of the estate,” he says.

Under waste management, Kara and Ngei II residents intend to borrow a leaf from “Tenga Taka Tuimarike Project (Kiswahili for Separate Waste for Prosperity)”, a successful waste management project jointly launched by Kara and Practical Action in Plainsview Estate, Nairobi in 2005.

Through the project, residents have learnt source-separation of waste — the waste is separated in three categories, with recyclable plastics and related waste being placed in yellow bags, organics in green and other waste in brown coloured trash bags.

But, unlike in the case of Plainsview, in Ngei, separated organic manure will find a ready use in being composted into manure for greening the estate. Clearly marked bins will also be placed strategically at different points within the estate for dumping of the waste. Organic materials will be composted by use of a commercial composting bin or free-standing compost piles.

The compost generated will be used as a component of potting and container mixes for growing a variety of indoor and outdoor ornamental plants. The compost will be blended with poorer soils for establishment of various plants and turf grass at the edges of the fence.

It will also be used for landscaping: being used as mulch for garden beds, trees and shrub planting. The estate will also be smart in the area of transport. To start with, 25-seater matatus will be introduced to specifically pick and drop residents at their work places.

They will be required to adhere to some set standards, such as “no blaring music”, to maintain order and reduce noise pollution. All vehicles within Ngei II estate will be fitted with special waste bags in which waste can be dropped. In addition, stickers with environment tips will be fitted on all vehicles within the estate.

The estate will operate resident parking zones and permits so that residents and their visitors know where they are supposed to park. This is expected to curb parking spillover on residential streets. Security guards within the estate will also be required to be environment-conscious. The security guards will be required to be in uniforms that match with the surrounding environment.

Whether or not the project will be replicated in other estates largely depends on the outcome of the Ngei pilot project. But Ochieng is optimistic: “We hope to reach a point whereby it is members of particular estates who will be inviting us to go and show them how to do it.”

Source: Daily Nation

The Nextgen Park

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This development project has already been approved by the City Council of Nairobi although the commencement date is not yet clear. As usual, the AK team has been unable to establish the entire team behind the project although credible leads indicate that Archigrid Systems are the lead consultants and project architects.

The information we are thus providing has been paraphrased from their brochure, which we must say, was lacking in terms of quality of presentation and imagery, save for the high quality paper used for the print and two images which were obviously downloaded from the internet, that of the theatre and gym. Click here to download the brochure in pdf. Discuss this development with regards to its scale, on whether Kenyans are ready for 'high rise' living and whether it is a plus or minus for the city of Nairobi.

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That aside, the park has been defined as the height of sophistication and Nairobi's new landmark of luxury. The park promises to redefine Nairobi's style with its ideal location, and is said to be at the cutting edge of 21st - century metropolitan living - the glamour of five - star hotel but within the confines of home.

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The centre will have the following facilities for sale:-

• Ground floor supermarket


• Shopping mall of four floors to be served by escalators and lifts of various sizes.


• A dedicated floor with terrace open to sky - food court.


• Upper floors dedicated to office spaces.


• Offices at Medical plaza meant for doctor's.

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Additional features include a joggers park, high speed lifts, borehole water supply, 50 seat private theatre, Spa, Secured basement parking, Two acres of landscaped gardens, Fully fitted kitchen with appliances, standby generator to lifts & common areas, ground floor 24 hour concierge reception with intercom service, pent houses with observation deck overlooking the National park and pent houses with own private steam / sauna and open air Jaccuzzi.

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