The 2019 Census pointed out that 50-80% of Kenyan residents in the Coast, Eastern, Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza regions live in houses built from mud and dung.
A separate report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) noted that people in the Western and Nyanza regions still prefer using mud and dung as building materials.
The KNBS report revealed that Kakamega and Vihiga counties prefer building the walls and floors of their houses with mud and dung due to the availability of the materials.
According to the report, Kakamega County has the highest proportion of houses that use dung as a floor material rating at 62.9%.
Further, it is closely followed by the Rift Valley County Bomet with 60.9%, Vihiga (54.4%), and West Pokot at 53%.
“This type of walling material was more common in rural areas at 43.1 per cent. At least 70 per cent of the dwellings in urban areas had walls made of stone and cement, cement blocks, bricks and cement finished walls,” part of the statement read.
Mud and Dung is Readily Available
Also, according to the latest Kenya Poverty Index Report, by KNBS, Kakamega county was mentioned as one of the counties with highest population of poor people.
As such, poverty can be attributed to be the reason for using mud and dung as building materials in these counties.
“Nakuru, Bungoma, Kakamega, Nairobi City, Turkana and Kilifi Counties have the highest population of overall poor people, which accounts for 24.2 per cent of all the poor individuals in the country,” KNBS noted.
Notably, use of mud and dung decentralizes the construction process as it utilizes local materials.
This is because dung is normally acquired from domestic animals, particularly cows and is believed to reduce jigger infestation.
Mud as an Insulator
Furthermore, mud acts as insulators thereby preventing external heat from entering the building while maintaining a cool environment inside.
According to the report, use of dung or mud as roofing material was highest in Samburu County at 17.5 per cent followed by West Pokot (4.6 per cent), and Kajiado (4.3 per cent).
Others are Busia at 3.8 per cent, Narok (3.7 per cent), Vihiga (2.5 per cent) and Kakamega (2.0 per cent).
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However, unlike dung or clay, the report stated that iron sheets are the most popular, with a nationwide coverage of 83.9 percent.
Mandera County, on the other hand, leads the way with 65.4 percent of houses using grass, makuti, or twigs as roofing material.
Cost of Building a House in Kenya Today
Nonetheless, the cost of building a house in Kenya varies based on various aspects, including the kind of land, the size of the building, and the material specifications, among others.
Concrete is the most preferred floor material for households in the country even as the KNBS statistics show that cow dung is still used by the majority in Western region counties.
An individual may determine the cost of building a house by examining the square footage, kind of house, and quality of finishing required.
