Searching for building contractors in Nairobi gives you plenty of names. Choosing one for your house takes a more specific conversation: can this company carry out your work, at your site, with a scope and price you understand?
Start with your project rather than a long shortlist. Describe what you want built, collect the design information you have and ask potential contractors to respond to the same brief. Then check their relevant experience, credentials, proposed team and written quotation before deciding.
If you are ready to seek offers, request house construction quotes in Nairobi through MyJenga.
Describe the house you want built
A contractor who works on residential projects still needs to understand your particular build. A bungalow, maisonette and whole apartment block call for different conversations about scope, quantities and organisation.
Prepare a short description with:
- Your actual county and town or area.
- The building type and intended use.
- Drawings and a bill of quantities, if available, including their revision dates.
- The work to include in the quotation.
- The finish and material specifications you have decided on.
- Your intended timing and any funding constraints.
- Known site access or delivery restrictions.
Do not invent missing measurements to make the brief look finished. Identify what is unknown and ask what is needed before the contractor can provide a detailed price.
If you have a plot but have not settled the design, get help planning your build first. You can begin that conversation without completed drawings.
Use the site location rather than the search location
You may look for construction companies in Nairobi because you live or work there, while the plot is in a neighbouring county. Give the contractor the actual project location.
For example, if your site is in Kiambu, Kajiado or Machakos County, name that county and the town or area in the enquiry. This helps the company consider how it would organise site visits, deliveries and its team.
Ask who would be based on site, how often the person managing the project would attend and how you would receive progress updates. Being able to visit a Nairobi office does not by itself answer those questions.
Ask about comparable residential work
Look beyond a portfolio’s best photograph. Ask the company to explain its role in projects similar to yours: the building type, scope it carried out and who managed the work.
Useful questions include:
- Did your company carry out the whole build or a particular part?
- Who supervised the work, and would that person be involved in my project?
- Can you provide a reference from a comparable project, with the client’s permission?
- What information would a former client be able to confirm about your work?
- Can any visit to a previous project be arranged with the owner’s permission?
A photograph can start a discussion, but it does not establish who delivered the work or whether the pictured finishes are included in your offer. Ask for evidence relevant to the company and team you would actually hire.
Check the business and professional details
Ask for the contractor’s registered business name and relevant registration and practising-licence details. Use the National Construction Authority’s official website to find its current contractor-checking guidance and services. Match the details to the business making the offer.
If the offer includes design, engineering or quantity-surveying services, ask who provides each service and how you can check their professional details. Establish which appointments and responsibilities are included in the proposed arrangement.
Keep these checks separate from the price discussion. Receiving a quotation through a platform is not the same as having completed every credential, reference or project-specific suitability check.
Ask each contractor to price the same work
A short quotation headed “complete house” may leave important responsibilities unclear. Give each company the same documents and ask for a written scope, specifications, exclusions and assumptions.
Check whether the offer includes labour only or labour and materials. Then ask about transport, unloading, equipment, external work, applicable taxes and allowances for undecided items.
Use a simple comparison sheet:
| Check | What you need confirmed |
|---|---|
| Documents | Which drawings, specifications and quantities were priced |
| Included work | The exact construction scope and materials |
| Exclusions | What you will arrange or pay for separately |
| Allowances | Which amounts depend on later choices or further information |
| Programme | Proposed start, duration and dependencies |
| Team | Who manages the work and how you contact them |
| Payments | Amounts, stages and what triggers each payment |
| Changes | How additional work is described, priced and agreed |
An unanswered item should remain visible as a question. Do not assume it is included because it was discussed informally.
For more detail, read our guide to comparing construction quotes in Kenya. If one quotation is much higher than another, check the reasons construction quotes differ before negotiating the headline price.
Discuss the working arrangement before choosing
Ask how progress will be communicated and who can make decisions about changes. If you cannot attend the site regularly, explain that before accepting the offer and agree how you will receive updates and raise concerns.
Ask the contractor to explain the payment proposal alongside the work programme. Clarify which decisions or purchases are your responsibility, and when they are needed. Record agreed revisions in the final offer so you are not relying on several versions and a string of messages.
Where the scope or price remains difficult to assess, consider a defined professional review. Agree what will be checked, the output and the fee before commissioning it.
Make a focused enquiry
Here is an illustrative starting point you can adapt:
I am planning a maisonette in Nairobi County. My drawings are in progress, and I want to understand what information is needed for a construction quotation. Please explain the residential work your company handles, what you would need to price my project and who would manage the build. I would like the eventual quotation to state its scope, exclusions, payment proposal and timing.
Use your actual building type, location and drawing status. If you are seeking bungalow builders, say so. If you want a whole apartment block priced, describe the complete project rather than only one unit.
Request construction quotes for your project
MyJenga helps you describe your residential project and request proposals from suitable providers. You can compare up to five proposals per round, depending on availability, and choose who to hire. Five responses are not guaranteed.
Request quotes from building contractors for your Nairobi project →
You can prepare and review your enquiry before signing in to send it. An existing project is not required: MyJenga creates one from your details when you submit your first enquiry. Sending the enquiry is free and does not commit you to hiring a contractor.