Ministry of Works Building Nairobi 1960

Public works in general means: Construction and maintenance of Government buildings done under contract and paid in whole or in part out of public funds. All new governments across the world have typically established two key ministries during the formation of government: the Ministry of Interior Security and Public Works. Kenya is no exception and therefore established the Works in the early 1930’s. Kenya was under colonial rule during this period and therefore the founders of the ministry were mainly of European origin.

Several bodies were later established under the Public Works to reinforce its role in the development of the country. The bodies were:

• 1934 - Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (BORAQS)

• 1948 - Department of Staff Training (DST) later Kenya Institute of Highways & Building Technology (KIHBT) (1996)

• 1957 - Kenya Building Research Center (KBRC)

• 2012 - National Construction Authority (NCA)

• 2015 - National Building Inspectorate (NBI) 

Over the years, Public Works has been domiciled in its own ministry and within several other ministries as a department or directorate. We pride ourselves in being the largest consortium of built environment professionals in Kenya and through this team, we have been able to ensure successful completion of projects.

The State Department for Public Works is charged with the responsibility of Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Development. The State Department achieves and maintains excellence in the construction and maintenance of Public buildings and other public works. Assets in the built environment include hospitals, schools, colleges, technical institutes, prisons, courts etc. Assets in infrastructure development include footbridges, sea walls, breakwaters and jetties.

In undertaking its mandate, the State Department for Public Works is guided by several legal instruments which include The Constitution of Kenya, Vision 2030, African Union Agenda 2063 and Acts of Parliament.