Factors Influencing Quality of Residential Buildings Projects: a Case of Kasarani Constituency in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

In the last three decades, the buildings industry has experienced challenges of quality which are complex and different. The buildings industry in Kenya has been associated with disruptions in quality therefore causing cost and time problems. Many of the quality challenges are a product of inadequate planning. In Kenya, there have been reports of poor administration of residential buildings projects, a superfluous surge in project usage lacking organization and budgetary arrangements, and exorbitant project management. Unsafe residential buildings have become rampant in the recent past, especially in the Nairobi Metropolitan region. The purpose of the study was to assess the factors which influence quality of residential buildings projects in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County. The following specific objectives guided the research; to assess the influence of construction equipment, project funding, project management, and modern technology on quality of residential buildings projects in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design targeting practitioners in the residential building industry including Architects, Civil and Structural Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Land Surveyors, Quantity Surveyors, Construction Project Managers and Private Developers. The sample size was 385 respondents, and the non-probability sampling technique was used in the study. Data collection in the study was done by administering questionnaires and carrying out interviews. Descriptive statistics, such as frequency, means, percentage and standard deviation, were used to interpret the data. A regression analysis was conducted in order to show how construction equipments, project funding, project management and modern technology influence quality of residential buildings projects in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County. There was a positive and significant relationship between construction equipment (r=0.695, p-value <0.05) and quality of residential building projects in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County. There was a positive and significant correlation between project funding (r=0.831, p-value <0.05) and quality of residential building projects in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County. There was a positive and significant relationship between project management (r=0.776, p-value <0.05) and quality of residential building projects in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County. There was a positive and significant relationship between modern technology (r=0.743, p-value <0.05) and quality of residential building projects in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County. This implied that the nature of construction equipment, the level of project funding and project management as well as the level of application of modern technology were positive determinants of quality of residential building projects in Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County. The recommendations are that the right construction equipment should be used in the construction of residential buildings. Competent project managers should be engaged in order to manage the construction of residential buildings. Clients and contractors should have enough cash flow in order to execute projects. Appropriate technologies such as Building Information Modelling should be adopted quickly in the residential buildings sector in order to minimize errors, and improve quality of works. The study recommends that a similar study should be carried out in other Constituencies in the Country since this study was only limited to Kasarani Constituency of Nairobi County.