Traditional construction methods in East Africa have historically employed the use of premix concrete in which a mason conducts onsite mixing of sand, cement, aggregate and water for casting of concrete at a construction site. However, in the wake of the recent building audit ordained by The Office of President Uhuru Kenyatta, change is now being proposed in the local construction industry, challenging traditional building methods with new technologies and materials such as readymix concrete. The building audit being conducted throughout Nairobi City County as well as other key counties in the country has uncovered at least 250 houses with structural defects out of over 2600 audited so far.
Research conducted during the building audit established that weak concrete mixes and sub-standard building materials were leading contributors to building collapse in the region. In an effort to boost the sustainability and durability of structures in the local built environment, the government of Kenya has drafted a law that seeks to obligate builders to use readymix concrete instead of conventional site mixed concrete. The draft law by the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development requires builders of houses with more than 3 floors to strictly use readymix concrete supplied by readymix manufacturers to ensure quality and structural integrity. In response to this proposed legislation, Totally Construction East Africa, the region’s leading show for alternative construction technologies and building materials, is hosting one of South Africa’s top readymix experts, Johan van Wyk, General Manager of the Southern Africa Readymix Association, during its exclusive conference and exhibition held from 4 to 5 October 2016 at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Southern Africa Readymix Association (SARMA) is responsible for promoting the readymix industry and establishing readymix as the preferred construction material in the Southern Africa region. The association holds expertise in setting the standard and guidelines with regard to environmental, safety and quality issues in the manufacturing and use of readymix concrete. Johan van Wyk’s participation at Totally Construction East Africa this year will be a pivotal to the evolution of readymix in East Africa as he shares his experience and expertise on critical operational aspects of readymix such as how to order and receive quality readymix concrete, best practices for affordable concrete housing construction, critical issues for materials testing and more. “SARMA is looking forward to bringing its expertise to East Africa,” offers Johan van Wyk of the Southern Africa Readymix Association. Johan van Wyk features amidst a line-up of over 35 internationally renowned industry speakers who will headline at the event.
Sponsored by Kumkang Kind and Wall-Ties & Forms, Inc. and endorsed by Kenya Vision 2030, the Kenya Property Developers Association and more than 30 other partners, Totally Construction East Africa is the only readymix concrete conference and exhibition serving the East African region. As rising urbanisation levels drive up demand for infrastructure and service delivery in the region, Totally Construction East Africa is the best gateway in 2016 to access the region’s multi-million dollar construction industry, to discover emerging alternative construction technologies and building materials and to find out how to complete more projects on budget and on time in the local built environment.
