The Developer's Digest, August - September 2017 Issue
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KPDA PARTNERS PROFILE<br />
KPDA FEATURE<br />
TCPAK ACTIVITIES AND ENGAGEMENTS<br />
Legislation Agenda<br />
In the recent years, TCPAK members have<br />
participated in the review of various Acts<br />
and Bills of Parliament and engaged<br />
committees of both the Senate and<br />
National Assembly. Some of the Acts and<br />
Bills reviewed include the Land Act, Land<br />
Registration Act, Community Land Act<br />
and the Physical Planning Bill 2015.<br />
Policy and Guidelines<br />
<strong>The</strong> Association and its members<br />
have contributed in the review and<br />
formulation of policy, regulations and<br />
standards. Some of the policy and<br />
regulation items include - county spatial/<br />
urban land use planning oversight and<br />
monitoring guidelines, national land use<br />
policy, and national spatial plan.<br />
National State Agencies<br />
TCPAK has developed useful working<br />
relationship with many national<br />
government ministries, departments<br />
and state agencies.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se agencies include the Ministry<br />
of Lands and Physical Planning, the<br />
State Department for Housing and<br />
Urban Development, National Land<br />
Commission, LAPSSET, Kenya Power,<br />
KENGEN and the KWS.<br />
Town and County Governments<br />
<strong>The</strong> Association and its members are<br />
spread in all counties in Kenya. As a<br />
professional association of town and<br />
county planners, the Association has<br />
nurtured close working relationships<br />
with county governments directly and<br />
through the Council of Governors (COG).<br />
Town and County Planning and<br />
Development Conference<br />
<strong>The</strong> new Kenya Constitution 2010 has<br />
identified towns and counties as the<br />
engine and focus of development. To this<br />
end, TCPAK plays host to the annual Town<br />
and County Planning and Development<br />
conference, 8th to 10th November every<br />
year.<br />
This premier event attracts professionals,<br />
national/county government officials,<br />
private sector and the academia.<br />
World Town Planning Day<br />
<strong>The</strong> World Town Planning Day is marked<br />
annually on 8th November. Globally, the<br />
event is coordinated by the International<br />
Society of City and Regional Planning<br />
(ISOCARP, <strong>The</strong> Hague/Netherlands). As<br />
members of ISOCARP, AAK Town Planners<br />
Chapter and TCPAK have been hosting<br />
this event here in Kenya since 2008.<br />
Town Awards of Excellence<br />
Town Awards of Excellence is a brain child<br />
of TCPAK. This annual Award is given to<br />
individuals, corporate and state agencies<br />
in recognition of their efforts to making<br />
towns and counties better places to live,<br />
work and invest in.<br />
UPCOMING EVENTS<br />
THE ASSOCIATION INVITES ALL TO THE UPCOMING EVENTS LISTED BELOW:<br />
ISOCARP Congress 24th – 27th October <strong>2017</strong><br />
Portland Oregon, USA<br />
<strong>The</strong> International Society of City and Regional Planners<br />
(ISOCARP) 53rd Congress will be held over the period<br />
24th – 27th October <strong>2017</strong>, Portland Oregon, USA. TCPAK<br />
Chairman is member of the congress committee and chair/<br />
rapportuer for Track 1 on Infrastructure, Buildings and<br />
ICT. For more information on this ISOCARP International<br />
Congress, visit the ISOCARP official website at https://<br />
isocarp.org/<br />
Town and County Planning and Development<br />
Conference <strong>2017</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Town and County Planning and Development<br />
Conference, 6th - 8th December <strong>2017</strong>, will be held at the<br />
Travellers Beach Hotel in Nyali, Mombasa. This event will<br />
also mark the annual World Town Planning Day and Town<br />
Awards of Excellence <strong>2017</strong>. Registration for this 3-in-1<br />
event is now open and further details can be obtained<br />
from the TCPAK secretariat.<br />
MEMBERSHIP AND CONTACT ADDRESS<br />
Membership<br />
TCPAK membership categories include - Fellow,<br />
Corporate, Institutional, Graduate, Associate, Technician,<br />
Student, Honorary, Visiting, and Firm.<br />
Contact Address<br />
<strong>The</strong> Association Secretariat address is as outlined below:<br />
Physical Address:<br />
Block 2, White Court, Galana Road, Kilimani, Nairobi<br />
Email:<br />
tcpakassociation@yahoo.com; info@tcpak.com;<br />
Cell: (+254) 0725 028 572<br />
Website: www.tcpak.com<br />
THE STATE OF REAL ESTATE IN KENYA<br />
Kenya’s real estate market like any other<br />
in the world operates in cycles. Our cycles<br />
tend to start after a general election and<br />
end with the next general elections.<br />
<strong>2017</strong> will be an election year and the<br />
slowdown in uptake, drop in prices and<br />
the increasing number of vacancies is a<br />
telltale sign that the market is adopting<br />
a wait and see attitude.<br />
Real estate however, continues to<br />
remain one of the most sort after sectors<br />
of investment in the Kenyan economy.<br />
<strong>The</strong> simple reason behind this is<br />
twofold. One of the main reasons is due<br />
to its proven status as a safe investment<br />
with little risks and guaranteed returns<br />
given the ever appreciating value of<br />
land. Second and most importantly, the<br />
Kenyan population. A huge part of the<br />
Kenyan population have an underlying<br />
endeavour to one day own part of the<br />
earth’s crust (land) in order to actualize<br />
their ever existing ambition of land<br />
ownership.<br />
<strong>2017</strong> has thus far been a very interesting<br />
year. This is due to the fact that late last<br />
year, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of<br />
Land and Physical Planning had issued<br />
a freeze in the renewal of leases and in<br />
fact any dealings in land in several parts<br />
of the country including Kajiado County<br />
as a measure of moving in to curb fraud<br />
that had become rampant perpetuated<br />
on unexpecting land owners.<br />
<strong>The</strong> ban brought a temporary state<br />
of inactivity in terms of slowing down<br />
investment in those affected areas. <strong>The</strong><br />
real estate sector thus experienced a<br />
temporary drop in the overall amounts<br />
spent by investors to acquire disposition<br />
in land.<br />
Come May of <strong>2017</strong>, the Cabinet<br />
Secretary reversed his temporary ban<br />
on the renewal of leases and dealings<br />
in land from the affected areas and<br />
the sector once again became vibrant<br />
with investment in land going back to<br />
previous highs.<br />
Whereas land ownership remains a vital<br />
part of the real estate sector, various<br />
other avenues exist as viable investment<br />
opportunities in as far as real estate is<br />
concerned. This include construction,<br />
agency management, commercial and<br />
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Kenya Property Developers Association... Development brings Development!<br />
Kenya Property Developers Association... Development brings Development!<br />
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