Comparing Between the Awareness and Adoption of Sustainable Construction Practices in Kenya
Abstract
Despite the numerous advantages of adopting sustainable construction practices, the approach is reportedly not being adopted by Kenyan construction industry stakeholders as would have been expected. This research sought to evaluate the extent of awareness and adoption of sustainable construction practices. The research adopted a survey design using questionnaires with closed-ended and open-ended questions. A sample size of 217 respondents was drawn from Architectural firms, Quantity Surveying firms, Engineering firms (civil, electrical & mechanical), Construction Management firms, Construction Project Managers, Building Contractors, Property Developers, and Real Estate Agents. A response rate of 83% was achieved. The study established a high level of awareness of 79.0% and described it as ‘a very good understanding’ based on the scale used. The overall extent of adoption of sustainable construction practices in Kenya was estimated to be 72.3%. Further, the study established a statistically significant moderate positive relationship between the extent of awareness and that of adopting sustainable construction practices. It was concluded that though the levels of awareness and adoption of sustainable construction practices in Kenya are now relatively higher compared to previous years, there still exist barriers to achieving 100% awareness and adoption. One of the recommendations made by this research is that the government needs to formulate an elaborate legal and regulatory framework for sustainable construction. Such a framework should provide clear implementation guidelines including the institutional framework, financial incentives, and penalties associated with sustainability in the construction sector
Downloads
References
Hakkinen, T., & Belloni, K. (2011). Barriers and drivers for sustainable building. Building Research & Information, 39(3), 239-255. doi: 10.1080/09613218.2011.561948
Ahn, Y. H., Pearce, A. R., Wang, Y., & Wang, G. (2013). Drivers and barriers of sustainable design and construction: The perception of green building experience. International Journal of Sustainable Building and Urban Development, 4(1), 35-45. doi: 10.1080/2093761X.2012.759887
Albert, K. (2018). Voice Controlled Lighting System For The Elderly And Persons With Special Needs. Doctoral dissertation, The Technical University of Kenya.
AlSanad, S. (2015). Awareness, Drivers, Actions, and Barriers of Sustainable Construction in Kuwait. International Conference on Sustainable Design, Engineering and Construction. 118, pp. 969-983. Safat: Kuwait Insitute for Scientific Research.
Ametepey, O., Aigbavboa, C., & Ansah, K. (2015). Barriers to successful implementation of sustainable construction inthe Ghanaian construction industry. 6th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2015) and theAffiliated Conferences (pp. 1682 – 1689). Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Elsevier Procedia.
Berardi, U. (2012). Sustainability Assessment in the Construction Sector: Rating Systems and Rated Buildings. Sustainable Development, 20, 411-424. doi:10.1002/sd.532
Brooks, A., & Rich, H. (2016). Sustainable construction and socio-technical transitions in London’s mega-projects. The Geograhical Journal, 182(4), 395-405. doi:10.1111/geoj.12167
Chebet, M., Gweyi, J., & Kitur, E. (2024). Adoption of Green Building Practices in Langata, Nairobi City County, Kenya. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 9(2), 182-192.
Darko, A., & Chan, A. P. (2016). Review of Barriers to Green Building Adoption. Sustainable Development, 1-13. doi:10.1002/sd.1651
DuPlessis, C. (2005). Action for sustainability: Preparing an African plan for sustainable building and construction. Building Research & Information, 33(5), 405-415. doi:10.1080/09613210500218974
Ezilondo, M., & Lofthouse, V. (2010). Towards A sustainable Use of Water at Home: Understanding How Much,Where and Why? Journal of Sustainable Development, 3(1), 3-10.
Fadhil, A. (2015). Adoption of green practices in the hospitality and tourism industry in Lamu County, Kenya. MA Thesis, University of Nairobi.
Ganiyu, B. O., Fapohunda, R. A., & Haldenwang, R. (2015). Construction Approaches to Enhance Sustainability in Affordable Housing in Developing Countries. World Congress on Sustainable Technologies (pp. 101-107). Durban: IEEE.
Ghazali, Z., & Zahid, M. (2015). Environmental Sustainability: Carbon Emission Reduction Strategies and Reporting among Malaysian Construction Companies. International Symposium on Technology Management and Emerging Technologies (ISTMET) (pp. 417-421). Lengkawi, Kedah, Malaysia: IEEE.
Hanjahanja, R., Omuto, C., & Biamah, E. (2018). Comparing Pre-Paid Communal Water Metering and Delegated Management in Urban Poor Setting: Case Studies in Nakuru and Kisumu in Kenya. Current Urban Studies, 6(4), 483–498.
Heilman, V. M. (2016). Factors Hindering the Adoption of Sustainable Design and Construction Practices: The Case of Office Building Development in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam.
Ihuah, W. P., Kakulu, I. I., & Eaton, D. (2014). A review of Critical Project Management Success Factors (CPMSF) for sustainable social housing in Nigeria. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 3(1), 62-71.
Kanda, E. K., Lusweti, E., Ngugi, F. N., Irungu, J. M., Omondi, B. O., & Waweru, S. G. (2023). Adoption of Green Building Practices in Kenya: A Case of Kakamega Municipality. In D. S.-K. Ting, & J. A. Stagner, Pragmatic Engineering and Lifestyle (pp. 153-169). Ontario: Emerald Publishing Limited. doi:10.1108/978-1-80262-997-220231008
Khaemba, P. (2013). Adoption of green building practices and rating system in Kenya: Potentials and barriers. Unpublished PhD Thesis, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Khaemba, P., & Mutsune, T. (2014). Potential for green building adoption: Evidence from Kenya. Global Journal of Business Research, 8(3), 69–76.
Li-qun, L., Chun-xia, L., & Yun-guang, G. (2014). Green and sustainable City will become the development objective of China’s Low Carbon City in future. Journal of Environmental Health Science & Engineering, 12(34), 1-10. Retrieved from http://www.ijehse.com/content/12/1/34
Mulei, D. N. (2020). Evaluation of energy efficiency, indoor air quality and sustainability testing of green buildings in Nairobi, Kenya. MSc Thesis, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Ndambuki, S. (2023, August 17). Green Buildings are doubling in Kenya, why is the residential sector lagging behind? Nairobi: Nation. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://nation.africa/kenya/business/green-buildings-are-doubling-in-kenya-why-is-the-residential-sector-lagging-behind--4337860
Nduka, D. O., & Sotunbo, S. A. (2014). Stakeholders Perception on the Awareness of Green Building Rating Systems and Accruable Benefits in Construction Projects in Nigeria. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 16(7), 118-130.
Ofori, A., Aigbavboa, C., & Ansah, K. (2015). Barriers to successful implementation of sustainable construction in the Ghanaian construction industry. 6th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2015) and the Affiliated Conferences, AHFE 2015. Kumasi.
Serpell, A., Kort, J., & Vera, S. (2013, June 17). Awareness, actions, drivers and barriers of sustainable construction in Chile. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 19(2), 272-288. doi: 10.3846/20294913.2013.798597
Soori, P. K., & Vishwas, M. (2013). Lighting control strategy for energy efficient office lighting system design. Energy and Buildings, 66(1), 329–337.
Sourani, A. I., & Sohail, M. (2005). Realising Social Objectives of Sustainable Construction through Procurement Strategies. Proceedings of the CIB W92/T23/W107 International Symposium on Procurement Systems , (pp. 637-644). Las Vegas: Arizona State University.
Sundanyi, S., Tramontin, V., & Loggia, C. (2015). An Investigation into the Costs and Benefits of Green Building in South Africa. World Congress on Sustainable technologies (pp. 78-82). Durban: University of KwaZulu Natal.
Wakhungu, J. (2021). Adoption Of Green Building Concepts In Residential Developments In Nairobi City County (A Perspective Of House Developers). Unpublished Masters Thesis. University of Nairobi.
Were, S. (2015). Investigation into the adoption of green building concepts in commercial buildings: A case of Nairobi County. Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Unpublished Thesis, Department of Construction Management.
Wilson, I., & Rezgui, Y. (2013). Barriers to construction industry stakeholders’ engagement with sustainability: toward a shared knowledge experience. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 19(2), 289- 309. doi:10.3846/20294913.2013.799105
Zaki, B. M., Ibrahim, A., & Adamu, A. (2016). A Study on the Level of Awareness of Sustainability Concepts in Construction amongst Students: The Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Experience. Civil and Environmental Research, 8(5), 149-157.
Zhang, Y., Wang, W., Wang, Z., Gao, M., Zhu, L., & Song, J. (2021). Greenbuilding design based on solar energy utilization. Energy Reports, 7, 1297–1307.
Zulu, S., Zulu, E., & Chabala, M. (2022). Sustainability Awareness and Practices in the Zambian Construction Industry. Acta Structilia, 29(1), 112- 140. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18820/24150487/as29i1.5
Copyright (c) 2024 Jacob Simwero, Patrick Ajwang, PhD, Fundi Sanewu, PhD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
