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{
    "id": 769449,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/769449/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 268,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ombaki",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13458,
        "legal_name": "Ezekiel Machogu Ombaki",
        "slug": "ezekiel-machogu-ombaki"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this very important Bill. We all know that building surveyors play a very important role in the building industry and environment. These are the professionals who provide the Bill of Quantities (BQ) and costing of any upcoming building. In case one requires to do any costing for an existing building, these are the people responsible for doing that. This Bill is long overdue because the industry has existed over the years without any Act to regulate its conduct and activities. Of late, the building industry has been bedevilled with a lot of problems including people operating minus the appropriate qualifications. They claim to be engineers or architects when they are not. Surveyors and building economists as known; they work in close liaison with engineers and architects in ensuring that there is stability in the building industry. It is, therefore, good that this Bill has come to us so that there will be a registration board to ensure that whatever they come up with in their regulations is complied with. They will also ensure that those who sometimes masquerade as qualified building surveyors are barred from practicing as such. The Bill also provides that there will be a registrar who will serve as the Chief Executive. I support this provision because apart from the people who will be serving in the board, there will be professionals. The registrar, who will be the Chief Executive Officer operating on a day-to- day basis, will issue certificates to those that have been endorsed and approved by the board to ensure that there are proper regulations being followed as far as this industry is concerned. I am sure that once we pass this Bill and it is enforced, we will have some sanity in the building industry. As of now, we are having a number of challenges. In almost all towns in this country, a month hardly passes without a building collapsing. Once we have this body and they work closely with engineers and architects, these will be challenges of the past. When you look at the financial implications, this is not something that will cost the Exchequer much money because it is not expensive. Therefore, I totally support that we enact this Bill. Thank you."
}