Kenya turns to drones to enforce construction regulations

Officials in Kenya will be deploying drones over construction sites across the country as part of a monitoring program to both ensure full compliance with building codes, and crackdown on contractors working without proper permits.

Authorities in Kenya are taking action to halt a series of structural failures around the country that have been blamed on sub-standard building methods or cheap and shoddy materials. The country’s Kiambu county has suffered five major building collapses in the last three months alone, though the safety problem is considered widespread. As a result, Kenya’s National Construction Authority (NCA) has said it will begin flying drones above construction sites around the nation to monitor respect of codes, and identify rogue contractors at work without permits.

In discussions with local journalists this month, NCA officials explained the drones would be deployed above construction sites, where onboard video, surveying, and mapping…