more impetus to deliver on your mandate ?
The construction industry is very vibrant especially on the residential housing front . As a country we still don ’ t have enough shelter , and there-in lies the opportunity .
Key challenges are cut throat competition leading to very low profit margins and sometime losses , unqualified technicians , substandard materials , counterfeits , local contractors being reduced to mere spectators on big projects due to low financial muscle , non-payments for work done , and rampant corruption among very many others .
For a contractor to deliver there is need to get trained labor force , prompt payments on certificates raised , banks to support contractors even if it means being paid directly by client to avoid diversion of funds , ensure level playground with foreign contractors and relaxation of conditions on some fronts for locals .
How does Houseman play a role in the journey to ensure the dream of achieving quality and affordable buildings and infrastructure is realized ? Do you share your technical prowess in positive policy formulation with relevant government arms ?
Houseman is a member of Kenya Association of Master Builders , Construction Machinery Owners Association , NCA2 Certified and is on forums where as contractors we engage with various bodies involved in formulation of policies in the construction industry .
How have you rewired team engagement to ensure your brand promise is sustained amid the pandemic as you ensure their safety and that of your customers ?
As a team we have fully embraced the Covid-19 guidelines and work with only necessary staff in the office . Our field teams are fully engaged in observing the set ministry of health guidelines .
How has Covid-19 impacted your operations ? Do you see more opportunities in the mix ? How do you intend to ride on this to give more value in view of the changed landscape ? Any unique lessons from where you sit ?
Covid-19 has substantially reduced our business operations due to market uncertainty and crashed economic activities . We thrive and flourish when new establishments crop up like hotels , schools , and offices . But the current scenario has really limited such growth . The unique lesson to our people is maybe to consider diversification away from the typical construction world to other business lines like pig farming , and bee keeping ?
What is your view on the future of the construction industry in Kenya ?
Apart from my many lamentations of lack of opportunities for local contractors as expressed above , the future generally looks great especially once we overcome the menace visited upon us by the pandemic . The country looks poised for positive growth on many parameters which will spur growth across industries .
One line about yourself ? What interesting challenges have you faced in your journey ? What are among the best lessons you have learned about business and industry that you can share ?
When I commit to do something , I do it come rain or sunshine . I love challenges and look forward to charting new horizons .
Challenges I have faced as a contractor are numerous . We have many times dealt with ghost workers where a foreman in cahoots with some fundis give false names for payment especially on sites far away from Nairobi ; The police and our truck or pickup drivers are like siamese twins joined at the hip and we constantly have to fix them in our budgets . A truck driver will call at midnight claiming to have been arrested for whatever reason and go ahead and ask for facilitation which they split with cops .
The hawk eyed county askaris can never be left behind as they will always find fault on every site from asking for fire extinguishers on a construction site where only sand and mortar are the only ingredients on ground to checking the number of toilets and population ration on site , interestingly some of these askaris come from places with flying toilets but are very professional in calculating toilet to human population ratio and giving a spot on punishment ; We have clients who take advantage of our policy of paying on project completion and only once happy , they never get happy .
We have unscrupulous hardware dealers who pack wrong materials in seemly correct boxes , there are cases where you arrive on site and find all installations and equipment missing , an inside job of course . In extreme situations , you might fail to pay casuals on time leading them to demolish an establishment you took over a month to erect !
Best lessons for me , don ’ t work for money . money will follow what you deliver ; no matter the situation the sun will rise again nothing lasts forever ; if you poke among the ashes you will always find something even if it ’ s a nail ; there is always enough to share , you can never have it all lose some gain some ; don ’ t compare yourself with others because there will always be someone better than you and you be better than someone , stick to your lane ; share knowledge it ’ s the best way of giving back ; and finally you own nothing , thank God for what he has given you .
These are excerpts from the discussion with Evans Onyancha , Chief Executive Officer Houseman General Contractors Limited as captured by Marketing Africa Crew . For more information or comments drop us a line on : Info @ marketingafrica . co . ke .