Building in Kenya from abroad: a guide for the diaspora

The rule that prevents most losses

Never pay for work that has not been verified by someone who does not benefit from the payment. Not the contractor, not the person buying materials, and, with respect, not a relative who is also managing the money. Separating the person who spends from the person who checks is the whole method.

Before any money moves

• Confirm the land. Have an advocate carry out a search on the title and confirm the boundaries with a surveyor. Do this before you pay for drawings
• Get proper drawings. Use a registered architect and a structural engineer. Plans must be approved by the county before work starts
• Know the cost. Have a quantity surveyor prepare a cost estimate and a bill of quantities. This is the figure you plan your savings or loan around
• Choose the contractor on paper. Invite three or more contractors registered with the National Construction Authority to price the same bill. Compare line by line, not total by total
• Sign a written contract. It states the price, the programme, the payment stages, retention, and how changes are priced. A WhatsApp agreement is not a contract you can enforce

How to pay

Pay in stages, each one after the work is measured. The usual stages on a house are foundation and slab, walling to ring beam, roofing, plaster and first-fix services, then finishes and external works.

• The contractor asks for payment when a stage is complete
• Your quantity surveyor visits, measures the work and issues a valuation with dated photographs
• You pay the contractor directly, into the company's bank account, for the certified amount
• Retention is held back from each payment and released after completion and the defects period

You stay in control of the money from wherever you are. Nobody in Kenya holds a float on your behalf.

If you are buying materials yourself

Building with a fundi and buying materials directly can save money, but it is where most diaspora losses occur. Ask for a material schedule by stage: exact quantities of blocks, cement, sand, ballast and steel. Pay suppliers directly against delivery notes. Have the quantities on site checked against the schedule before the next order goes out.

What reports to insist on

• Dated photographs from fixed positions, so each report can be compared with the last
• Progress against the programme, stage by stage
• Money certified to date against the contract sum
• Changes requested, with their price, awaiting your approval
• Problems, stated plainly, with what is being done about each

A video call from the site once a month, walking through the building, is worth more than any number of selected photographs.

Warning signs

• Requests for money ahead of the agreed stage, for any reason
• Photographs that never show the whole building
• A price that rises without a written, priced change
• A contractor who will not price a bill of quantities and offers only a lump sum
• Pressure to pay into a personal account or in cash

What I do for clients abroad

I act as your eyes and your cost control in Kenya: estimate and bill of quantities before you start, tender evaluation, a valuation with photographs before every payment, a monthly report, and the final account. You approve every payment and every change yourself. I hold none of your money.

Questions clients ask