Regional Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi

Established in 1975 as a non-profit intergovernmental organization under auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the then Organization of African Unity (now African Union), the Regional Centre at Kasarani enjoyed a dominant presence. Founded to provide services in surveying and mapping to its member states in Eastern and Southern Africa, this Centre’s original name mutated to the current “Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD)”. It’s here that the current Vihiga County Governor, Dr Wilbur Ottichilo, cut his teeth as he served as the Centre’s Director General.

Dominance

AI driven tool: Volumes and 3D models

I recently had occasion to share time with my good friend Peter Ndirangu of Polken Geocart Survey. Peter loves unconventional solutions, and has a penchant for new technology. Admittedly, he has an ear for the future, and innovation. This time he was excited to demonstrate how he’s been generating maps and three-dimensional (3D) models using a simple AI driven tool. This mobile SLAM Lidar enabled tool, has made it possible for him to provide simple solutions to local industry problems, saving time and resources for his clients.

Restructuring

Despite its efforts, the judiciary isn’t too good at showcasing its achievements. Perhaps owing to the austere nature of its business. For instance, there has been some major changes in the structure of the Environment and Land Court. Changes that will greatly impact the Court’s business! But not many Kenyans, other than practicing advocates, know. The court has now been restructured into two Divisions, one responsible for land matters, the other for environment and planning matters.

This Court was established following proposals contained in Kenya’s 2009 national land policy. The proposal was subsequently anchored in the 2010 constitution, and operationalized through the Environment and Land Court Act of 2011. The constitution obliged parliament to establish a court with the same status as the High Court to determine disputes relating to the environment, the use of and occupation of land, and titles to land. This Court, which currently has presence in several counties, has been in operation for just over ten years. In a recently released User Operation Manual on the newly established divisions, the Presiding Judge to the Court observes that during the Court’s ten-year anniversary celebrations, stakeholders indicated that an increasing number of cases brought before the court pertain to land, rather than environmental concerns.

Debate on accreditation

The debate on the accreditation of professional courses was rekindled recently. This followed remarks allegedly made by the Registrar of the Engineers Registration Board of Kenya during a meeting with the Committee on Education and Research of the National Assembly. Impression was made that several engineering courses currently offered by some local universities have not been accredited and, therefore, enlisted students may not be registrable for professional practice on graduation. There’s been previous related discussion on other professional courses. The divergence isn’t good for Kenya.

Industry gives good feedback

It’s evident that the real estate sector will change during and post-Covid19. In many ways! Comparing notes lately, a colleague for instance mentioned how he has been trying to move his stock of property. He even offered generous price concessions. But no one jumped at it, he mentioned. I advised that markets behave so in uncertain environments. Most prospective buyers focus on sheer survival hoping that their cash reserves will last the period. They are therefore unlikely to invest available cash on property, whatever the bargain. And this trend has been gradually slowing down the real estate sector lately. This will be felt by those who had pending commercial and residential properties to move, along with those who held urban or rural land for sale.

The market will take time to recover post-Covid19. Uptake will be sluggish as cash levels will be low, with prospective investors having eaten into their reserves. Others will have changed priorities. Many may want to first rebuild their cash reserves, before considering capital investments. Moreover, the season has taught unexpected lessons. After long periods of working away, many companies may just have realized that they could do with less office space. Meetings, critical decisions and the cascading of operational instructions have been happening virtually.

The work-from-home call, which started off as a survival strategy, may have triggered unexpected trends for institutions that have hitherto embraced office-centered business models. In Kenya’s jam-strung cities like Nairobi and Mombasa, time saved and the freshness of working out-of-office will tempt. This could see businesses scale down on their space needs, and subsequently influence decisions for new businesses hence triggering a net reduction in the demand for commercial space. Real estate groups within this niche, particularly in Nairobi’s central business district and its suburbs, will need to plan to accommodate this likely trend.