The effect of competence of contractors on the construction of substandard buildings in Kenya

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to assess how competence and qualifications of contractors influence construction of substandard buildings in Kenya. The study utilized a descriptive research design. This study used contractors operating in Nairobi metropolitan. The contractors were selected because they are familiar with drivers of sub-standard buildings In Kenya. There are 220 registered companies for contractors in Nairobi. This study used both stratified sampling and simple random sampling. The employees were stratified into two strata of management employees and other employees. The target sample size for this study was 200 employees. The collection of primary data was done using structured questionnaire which was administered to the respondents. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20 where results were presented in form of frequencies, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Results showed that competence and qualifications of contractors influenced construction of standard buildings. Results revealed that there is bidding for works by contractors which many lack capacity to execute. In addition, their is lack of peer review among contractors leads to lack of better practice standards. Further results reveal that engineers in the construction sector are not registered with the appropriate professional bodies. The correlation between competence and qualifications of contractors and construction of standard buildings was found to be statistically significant and positive. It is recommended to the government that they review the existing curriculum for engineers and the requirements needed for any contractor to register so as to ensure that only qualified and competent contractors are registered. Further a replica of this study can be carried out with a further scope to include at more towns in Kenya.