Interior designers, landscape architects, construction project managers, as well as related technicians, will, for the first time, come under statutory regulation if Parliament approves a proposed law aimed at improving accountability and competency standards in the wider construction industry.
A new Bill tabled in Parliament for approval seeks to mainstream interior design, landscaping, and construction project management-a shift from the current scenario, where they are treated as offshoots of traditional architecture and quantity surveying.
‘The Bill therefore seeks to make provision for the training, registration, licensing and practice of architects, quantity surveyors, landscape architects, interior designers, construction project managers and related technicians so as to achieve statutory harmony in the regulation of the architectural and quantity surveying practice in Kenya’ the Bill tabled by Joseph Tonui, chairman of the National Assembly’s departmental committee on Housing Urban Planning and Public Works said in part.
Statutory regulation boosts professionals by giving assurance to their prospective employers about standards of practice and accountability. This is critical in awarding job contracts because regulated professionals are held accountable for their actions and there are avenues for recourse in cases of professional misconduct or negligence. Formal regulation also fosters trust and confidence by enforcing ethical standards and competency requirements.
Interior designers and landscapers in Kenya are presently represented by industry lobbies such as the Interior Designers Association of Kenya (IDAK), the Interior Design Society of Kenya (IDSK), and the landscape architects chapter of the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK).
Despite representation by IDAK, IDSK and AAK, there is no formal professional recognition of interior designers and landscaping architects.
In the proposed law, built industry professionals will be required to undergo mandatory training, registration and licensing before practicing.
‘An Act of Parliament to make provision for the training, registration and licensing of architects, quantity surveyors, landscape architects, interior designers, construction project managers and their related technicians; to harmonise the regulation of professionals in Architecture and Quantity Surveying,’ the Bill proposes.