Kenya's lawmakers want a new law to regulate the people who design, cost, and manage buildings.
The proposed Architectural and Quantity Surveying Practitioners Bill, 2026, would replace a law from 1954.
Not everyone is happy with it.
Some professional bodies want it fixed. Others want it scrapped. The fight is now in Parliament.
Is it law yet?
No.
As of 18th October 2026, it is still a Bill.
It was introduced in the National Assembly and sent to the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works, which has been hearing from stakeholders.
Until it passes and takes effect, the current rules still apply. You can view the Bill on the Parliament of Kenya website.
The purpose of the bill
The Bill would repeal the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Act, Cap. 525, which dates from 1954.
Construction looks very different today. There are interior designers, landscape architects, project managers, green building specialists and digital design tools that the old law never had in mind.
The Bill’s aims are better professional standards, clearer registration, more accountability and protection for the public from unqualified practitioners. Few people argue with those goals. The argument is over how to get there.
Who would be covered?
Architects: building design and spatial planning
Quantity surveyors: cost planning, estimating and contract costs
Interior designers: planning indoor spaces for safety, access and function
Landscape architects: outdoor spaces and how buildings fit their surroundings
Construction project managers: running projects on time and on budget
Technicians and middle-level practitioners: technical support work within their scope
What the Bill proposes
More professions under one law. Disciplines that lack a statutory framework would get a route to recognition and registration.
Registration for middle-level practitioners and technicians. This would give recognition to people who support projects but follow a different training path.
Stronger oversight. The Bill proposes more site inspection powers and a special mechanism for handling misconduct.
Rules for foreign professionals and firms. These include local incorporation and skills transfer.
Recognition of new technology. The Bill refers to artificial intelligence, digital tools, green building and climate change.
Why some professionals are against it
In August 2026, the Architects Alliance, the Interior Designers Association of Kenya (IDAK) and the Association of Construction Managers of Kenya (ACMK) asked for the Bill to be withdrawn or reconsidered. In October, a wider group of professional bodies asked Parliament to pause it. That group included engineers, surveyors, planners, construction managers, interior designers and lawyers.
Their concerns:
One board for everyone. Architects, interior designers and construction managers work on the same projects, but their training and duties are different. Critics fear a single board could favour some professions over others.
Loss of independence. The Architects Alliance rejects the Bill completely. It wants a separate Architects Bill, 2026, and its own regulator. Others suggest a separate body for each profession, with one council above them to coordinate.
Overlapping roles. If the lines between professions are blurry, it becomes harder to say who is responsible when something goes wrong.
Not enough public participation. On 16 October 2026, a coalition asked Parliament to pause the Bill. According to Citizen Digital, they say young practitioners, graduates, students and several professional bodies were left out of the drafting. They pointed to Articles 10 and 118 of the Constitution, which cover public participation. They also want access to the full Bill and a record of submissions.
This is a complaint, not a court ruling. Nobody has found the Bill unconstitutional.
What stakeholders told Parliament on 17 October
Not everyone wants the Bill dropped. Some support it but want changes.
Interior designers. IDAK wants the Bill renamed the Built Environment Professionals Bill, since it covers more than architects and quantity surveyors. The Interior Design Society of Kenya and the Association of Designers of Kenya also back regulation, but the Society warned that it should not limit independent interior design practice.
Architects Alliance. It stuck to its position: separate law, separate regulator. It says professions can work together without sitting under one structure.
Technical University of Kenya. It welcomed the update but wants clearer links between professional registration, academic qualifications and quality assurance. It raised concerns about students already in approved programmes, graduates waiting for exams or registration, and interns doing supervised practice. It also asked Parliament to protect the roles of the Commission for University Education (CUE) and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA).
What it could mean for students and young professionals
The final law could change how graduates get to registration, including exams, supervised experience and licensing. Some questions need clear answers:
Will current students and graduates keep recognition of their qualifications?
What happens to people who have finished studying and are waiting for exams or registration?
Will existing internship arrangements continue?
How will fees and entry requirements be set?
Will there be a transition period?
These affect the cost of training, how long it takes to qualify and when people can start earning.
What it could mean for buyers and developers
Developers could benefit from clearer roles when hiring consultants. Buyers could benefit from better accountability on who designed or supervised a building.
A new law will not make buildings safer by itself, though. That depends on enforcement, competent professionals and compliance with other approvals. Badly defined roles could make things worse.
What happens next
The committee’s legal team will go through the submissions and proposed amendments. Things to watch:
One board, or separate bodies for each profession
Whether the Bill’s title and scope are widened
How the roles and limits of each profession are defined
Clarity on education, registration and transition
How the public participation concerns are handled
Changes to the rules on inspections, misconduct, foreign practitioners and new technology
The bottom line
Kenya has good reason to update how the built environment is regulated. The 1954 law is out of date. But the debate shows that updating is not enough. The new law needs clear boundaries between professions, fair representation, credible registration standards and real protection for the public.
Some groups back the Bill and want changes. Others want separate laws. Universities are worried about students. A wider coalition says the process left people out.
For now, the Bill is not law. If it passes, it will affect everyone who designs, finances, builds, buys or lives in a property in Kenya.
