Government Urge Use Of Innovation, Sustainability and Growth to Shape Kenya’s Real Estate Future

Taifanews 

Macharia David 

Kenya’s real estate sector is entering a new phase in which innovation, sustainability and professional growth will determine how the industry responds to rising housing demand, changing consumer expectations and rapid technological advances.

The message emerged during an Estate Agents Registration Board (EARB) CEO breakfast meeting held under the theme “Future Outlook of the Real Estate Sector in Kenya: Innovation, Sustainability and Growth.”

Government officials and industry leaders said the transformation of the property market will require estate agents to move beyond traditional brokerage and embrace technology, data, professional property management and closer collaboration across the real estate value chain.

Cornelius Kimuyu, Director of Estate Management in the State Department for Housing, said Kenya’s affordable housing programme presents significant opportunities for estate agents and other property professionals, but called for greater industry participation in shaping housing developments.

Kimuyu said estate agents have direct knowledge of buyers, tenants and investors and can therefore help government understand changing market needs and ensure housing products respond to actual demand.

“There is no magic in construction. This is a business all of us have done for years. But there is magic in understanding the space and delivering the product that satisfies the nature of demand,” Kimuyu said.

He said the government’s housing programme, which targets up to two million units, would generate opportunities beyond construction, including property sales, property management, facilities management and maintenance.

“This forms, again, another enormous business opportunity for all of us,” he said.

Kimuyu also called for innovative approaches to Kenya’s informal settlements, saying the country had continued to struggle with the problem despite decades of interventions.

“We’ve been fighting slums since independence, and they keep coming up,” he said.

He urged professionals to provide practical solutions that address the underlying housing needs of communities.

The innovation pillar of the EARB theme was further highlighted by Lucy Thuo, Director at Future-Wise Realtors, who said data and PropTech would increasingly determine how real estate firms understand customers and grow their businesses.

Thuo urged firms to examine the data already available within their organisations and identify employees capable of handling market intelligence and turning information into actionable business decisions.

She said real estate companies should move from relying on assumptions to using data to understand customer behaviour, market trends, pricing and sales opportunities.

The approach, she said, can turn data into a business growth engine by helping firms make better decisions and respond more quickly to changing market conditions.

Technology is also changing the relationship between property professionals and clients, with buyers increasingly able to access property information, compare prices and research locations online.

This means estate agents will need to add value through professional judgement, market intelligence, due diligence, negotiation, transaction management and trusted advice.

Sam Kariuki, CEO of MiVida Homes, said the expansion of housing would increase the need for professionals capable of managing properties throughout their life cycle.

He said the real estate industry would increasingly require collaboration between developers, government, estate agents, property managers, facilities managers and other professionals to ensure developments deliver value beyond construction.

The sustainability aspect of the EARB theme was also linked to the need for proper management and maintenance of buildings after occupation.

Industry players said preventive and predictive maintenance, technology-based monitoring, efficient use of resources and proper property management would become increasingly important as Kenya’s housing stock expands.

Stephen Omengo, Vice Chairperson of EARB, said the future of the profession would depend on practitioners adapting to the changing operating environment while maintaining professional standards.

The emphasis on professionalism comes as technology makes property information increasingly accessible to consumers, raising expectations for transparency, accountability and quality of service from registered estate agents.

The EARB meeting also underscored the need for continuous professional development as practitioners navigate changes in technology, data, sustainability, financing and consumer behaviour.

Kimuyu said government and industry must work together to ensure that the transformation of the housing sector benefits all players.

“Let us collaborate, so that everybody feels part of what is happening, and not just feels part, but benefits from anything that comes from the transformation,” he said.

The discussions positioned innovation, sustainability and growth not as separate issues but as interconnected drivers of Kenya’s evolving real estate industry, with the affordable housing programme expected to create new opportunities across the property value chain.