A bill that would fundamentally reshape how architects are licensed and regulated in Kenya has been introduced in the National Assembly, arriving against a backdrop of repeated building collapses that have put the construction industry under intense public scrutiny.
The Architects Bill, 2026, sponsored by Bumula Member of Parliament Wanami Wamboka, proposes the creation of new institutions to oversee professional standards, training, and registration of architects and architectural technicians in Kenya. The bill is currently before Parliament.
The timing is deliberate. The bill comes on the heels of multiple building collapses in Nairobi that engineers have blamed on rogue contractors and weak regulatory oversight. In January 2026, a multi-storey building under construction collapsed in the South C area of Nairobi, triggering investigations and renewed debate about regulatory oversight in the construction industry. In 2025, a residential building collapsed in Kahawa West, raising concerns about poor construction standards.
New Institutions
The bill seeks to provide for the training, registration, and licensing of architects and architectural technicians, as well as the regulation of architectural practice. It establishes the Institute of Architects, its Council, its powers and functions, and the establishment of the Examination Board with its functions.
The Institute of Architects, headquartered in Nairobi, will establish, publish, and monitor the standards of professional competence and architectural practice in Kenya. A separate Architects Examination Board of Kenya will prescribe and regulate the syllabus of instruction for architects' professional examinations. An Architects Registration Committee will receive applications for registration and grant practising certificates in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
Who Qualifies
The bill sets out clear thresholds for registration. A person shall be eligible for registration as a professional architect if they are a graduate architect and have obtained practical experience as prescribed under the Act. They must also have passed a professional assessment examination conducted by the Architects Examination Board and hold full membership of the Institute.
A person shall be eligible for registration as an Architectural Technician if they hold a diploma in Architecture or Architectural Technology, have obtained practical experience as prescribed under the Act, and have passed a professional assessment examination conducted by the Architects Examination Board.
The bill also specifies grounds for disqualification. A person is disqualified from being registered if they are convicted of any offence involving fraud, are an undischarged bankrupt, or are found by the Council to be guilty of professional misconduct.
Practising Certificates
No person shall practise as a registered architect or an architectural technician unless they have been issued with a valid practising certificate. Applications shall be accompanied by the prescribed fee, not exceeding KES 10,000. A practising certificate shall be valid for one year from the 1st of January to the 31st of December.
Penalties
The penalties proposed in the bill are among the stiffest the sector has seen. Individuals who masquerade as trained architects risk a KES 5 million fine or three years in jail if MPs approve the Architects Bill, 2026. The bill also imposes hefty penalties on those who falsify documents in a bid to secure registration as trained architects.
According to the legislation, the definition of an unlicensed architect includes anyone who designs, supervises, or offers architectural services without being registered with the Board of Architects in Kenya. The bill also requires firms offering architectural services to employ only registered professionals, ensuring that accountability and professional standards are maintained across the sector.
What Happens Next
The bill is currently under parliamentary debate. If passed, it would replace the existing framework under the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors, which has long been criticized for inadequate enforcement capacity. The legislation also outlines disciplinary procedures, financial provisions, and penalties for offences related to professional misconduct.
Kenya's construction sector has expanded rapidly alongside urbanization, but enforcement of professional standards has struggled to keep pace. Whether Parliament moves quickly on the bill or subjects it to prolonged committee review remains to be seen, but the pressure from recent tragedies makes inaction increasingly difficult to defend.
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!