Papers by gerryshom munala
An investigation was conducted to examine the influence of project size and the difference betwee... more An investigation was conducted to examine the influence of project size and the difference between base estimate and initial contract sum in predicting change order rates. The study was conducted on historical data of 45 projects in Northern Nigeria that were in progress from 2004 to 2014. Base on the study analysis, it was found that project size and the difference between base estimate and initial contract sum can be predictors of change order rates. The study concluded that despite the fact that cost overrun rate and change order rate are not identical, they can be predicted by the same factors.
Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2020
Water conservation measures are rapidly becoming a necessity in urban environments all over Afric... more Water conservation measures are rapidly becoming a necessity in urban environments all over Africa and the world. There is little innovation and available information for homeowners, building professionals and practitioners to guide towards water conservation. Water scarcity has progressively increased over periods of time in Eastleigh due to increased population density from increased high-rise apartments. The study tries to establish how water usage patterns and water conservation devices can potentially reduce water consumption levels. In the study area, 96% of the families are faced with problems related to water supply and hence are forced to come up with water conservation and adaptation strategies due to the scarcity of water. The study used survey and descriptive research design, and collected data on water usage patterns and water conservation devices from a total of 230 households in Biafra and Sewage estates in the Eastleigh neighbourhood. The results indicated that 76% of the households did not have water saving devices while the other 24% had water saving devices such as the dual flush toilets, low flow high-efficiency faucet aerators, low flow plumbing fixtures and automatic shut-off nozzles. A unit increase in water saving devices will lead to a 0.512 decrease in water consumption level. The study recommends that low-income households use water saving devices and develop water management strategies such as water-saving plumbing fixtures, rainwater harvesting, and grey water reuse.
Weltwassertag 2009, Mar 27, 2009
East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2021
The heritage space of Old Town Mombasa is undergoing social evolution in terms of the demographic... more The heritage space of Old Town Mombasa is undergoing social evolution in terms of the demographic composition and the changing desires of the varying generations. The study sought to measure the perceived correlation between motorised transport, the veritable exemplification of misconstrued development, and conservation efforts within the Old Town heritage space. The qualitative analysis indicates that the top-down approach and limited economic development over time have left the younger generation of local residents lacking a sense of ownership and disparity with conservation objectives. The study recommends social re-engineering that will capture the ideologies of ‘Old Townism’ and create a beneficial sense of belonging.
If building working drawings were perfect and unambiguous, late changes that often take place dur... more If building working drawings were perfect and unambiguous, late changes that often take place during construction and habitually causing grave disruption to the project will minimise. Identifying changes and anticipating their penalty can help project teams allay these negative impacts. As a result, a change process model has been proposed to improve this modus operandi, the existence of such process is imperative in order to accomplish the contractual responsibility of cost, time and quality. The methodology involved extensive literature review of existing change order management model. The paper assess how the existing contract provision for change management combined with the utilization of BIM can reduce the impact of changes and manage change from project initiation to project closure. The paper concludes that there isn’t a specific change management procedure obtainable in the Nigerian construction industry; therefore diligently following the steps laid down in each stage of t...
The construction industry endures a poor reputation and continues to experience ethical problems ... more The construction industry endures a poor reputation and continues to experience ethical problems manifested in collapsed buildings, corrupt deals and a general lack of honesty. In this paper, the authors present results of an investigation into the prevalent ethical problems in the construction industry in Kenya and their impact on projects. A review of literature on corruption shows that emphasis is placed upon putting in place systems and policies for fighting corruption, yet this has not achieved much results. Literature in construction ethics shows that professional codes and ethics are only effective as far as the people are personally ethical. The method of conducting this study was through in-depth interviews of stakeholders to establish prevalent unethical practices in the industry. The authors present the results from a thematic analysis of perceptions of information-rich subjects from different sectors of the industry. The results show that unethical practices such as coll...
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE, …, 2011
... This paper emphasises the need to change approach and reform SWM in a city that is facing a h... more ... This paper emphasises the need to change approach and reform SWM in a city that is facing a huge challenge in ... Municipal Solid Waste Management Challenges in Developing Countries – Kenyan case study. ... Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programme Proposal. ...
Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2020
Water quality is one of the main indicators of the quality of service provided to consumers. Qual... more Water quality is one of the main indicators of the quality of service provided to consumers. Quality has an impact on both the public health and aesthetic value of water as a consumable product. Kenya is classified as a water-scarce country with only 647 cubic meters of renewable freshwater per capita. Water distributed in Nairobi is faced with a myriad of challenges leading to a compromise to its quality. This study focused on evaluating quality of drinking water since human health depends on adequate, clean, reliable water. Analyses were carried out at National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) accredited Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) laboratories to determine the chemical, bacteriological and physical characteristics of consumed water in Umoja Innercore Estate in Nairobi. In the study area, 7 HH and 6 BH sites were randomly distributed. pH, turbidity and temperature measurements were analyzed in-situ while bacteria and chemicals were analyzed in laboratories. The study found that 100% of boreholes recorded unsatisfactory water with up to 1100 of Escherichia coli (E. coli) showing high contamination with faecal coliforms and 83% of boreholes recording pH of up to 9.53. Dissolved oxygen was 5.08 mg/L below recommended 12.0 mg/L, salinity of 0.47 mg/L and 0.03 mg/L for boreholes and households respectively. The study reveals the deprived quality of water available to the residents of Umoja Innercore, Nairobi. The study recommends the use of biosand filtration methods for septic tanks, digging of deeper boreholes and lining septic tanks with impermeable materials to prevent contamination of ground water with raw water from septic.
The purpose of thispaper is to investigatethe factors contributing to variation orders in civil e... more The purpose of thispaper is to investigatethe factors contributing to variation orders in civil engineering construction projects in Kenya.A survey of12 clients,32 consultants and 51 contractors, based in Nairobi, Kenya was conducted. Simple random sampling was carried outto select the respondents. The data was analysed using percentages and the Relative Importance Index. The study revealed that additional work is the most predominant aspect of variation with a score of 58%. In addition, the five most important causes of variations were revealed to be:delay in land acquisition/compensation (0.859), differing site conditions (0.832), change of plans or scope by client (0.762), change of schedule by the client (0.751), and lack of coordination between overseas and local designers (0.741). The five most important impacts of variations were found to be; cost overruns (0.903), contractual claims and disputes (0.814), and time overruns (0.811).To minimize the occurrence of variations, the study recommends:prompt acquisition of wayleave, thorough feasibility study, and provision clear project
Construction is a complex and challenging activity owing to the technical advances, tighter regul... more Construction is a complex and challenging activity owing to the technical advances, tighter regulations and need for effective management of resources for competitive edge. The projects under the industry involve many parties namely the contractors, consultants, clients, suppliers, subcontractors and other project parties.. Studies carried in Kenya have established relationship between; hiring skilled manpower and timely completion of projects, skilled manpower and quality project output, timely release of funds and project completion and supervision style and quality projects. However, none of the studies have considered the relationship between contractors and subcontractor in project delivery which is the area of interest in this study.Further, the government enactment of stiff policies and regulations to enhance quality project delivery and mutual relationship between contractors and subcontractors has not borne fruition as government continue witnessing an alarming stalled or poor quality projects. The objective of the study isto identify and categorize the most common factors used by general contractors in the selection of suitable subcontractors for project implementation in Nairobi area.Themultiple comparative case study design and a population of 70 firms were used. The response rate of the study was 81.5%.The results revealed that, "Compliance with regulations" was ranked in the first position by both the contractors and subcontractors with RII of (0.808). Also, each of them separately ranked it in the first position with RII of (0.778) and (0.838), respectively. This emphasizes that, this is the most important factor used by general contractors for selection of suitable subcontractors in this group, since the knowledge and compliance with regulations reduce the problem. The study recommends the contractor selects the subcontractors according to their experience, capabilities, resources and reputation. Thestudy may help various relevant government agencies in policy formulation.
Managing drinking water in its distribution pathways is one of the main indicators of the quality... more Managing drinking water in its distribution pathways is one of the main indicators of the quality of service provided to the consumer. Its quality management is important since human health and livelihoods depend on adequate, clean, reliable water supplies. Unfortunately, this is not true to many neighborhoods in developing countries and the quality of water distributed in Umoja Innercore is no exemption. This research sought to evaluate how the management of water affects its distribution in the entity from source to the household. Six borehole owners and 5 water bowsers were interviewed and 156 households’ questionnaires were administered in a systematic random manner through a survey carried out over a period of 10 days. The study found out that 29.3% of respondents get treated water directly from Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), 32.7 and 25.3% get untreated water from water bowsers and water carts through jerrycans, 10% indicated water kiosk and 3% from rainwater...
Managing drinking water in its distribution pathways is one of the main indicators of the quality... more Managing drinking water in its distribution pathways is one of the main indicators of the quality of service provided to the consumer. Its quality management is important since human health and livelihoods depend on adequate, clean, reliable water supplies. Unfortunately, this is not true to many neighborhoods in developing countries and the quality of water distributed in Umoja Innercore is no exemption. This research sought to evaluate how the management of water affects its distribution in the entity from source to the household. Six borehole owners and 5 water bowsers were interviewed and 156 households’ questionnaires were administered in a systematic random manner through a survey carried out over a period of 10 days. The study found out that 29.3% of respondents get treated water directly from Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), 32.7 and 25.3% get untreated water from water bowsers and water carts through jerrycans, 10% indicated water kiosk and 3% from rainwater...
Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning
Natural Resources
Rainwater harvesting provides an important alternative source of water in household buildings whi... more Rainwater harvesting provides an important alternative source of water in household buildings which increases water security in urban areas. However, high energy cost consumption by the rainwater harvesting systems results in higher management costs which may derail the investment viability of these systems in households. This prompted this study to establish ways through which the management cost of rainwater harvesting systems can be minimized in household buildings. A survey of 200 households from Greenspan, Komarock, Utawala, Kileleshwa and Runda in Nairobi County was undertaken as well as data on the type of rainwater harvesting systems, their operation and maintenance cost collected using observation checklists and questionnaires. The findings indicated that rainwater harvesting typologies 1, 2, 4 and 5 had their water pumped from first-level storage to the second-level storage then supplied to usage points by gravity. Whereas, typologies 3 and 6 had their water moved manually and by gravity respectively. On annual operation cost, 100% of households with typology 3 and 6 spent no money whereas, 100%, 75% and 70.6% with typology 4 and 5, 1 and 2 respectively spent Ksh. 1-5000. On annual maintenance cost, 100%, 93.7% and 77.8% of households with typology 5 and 6, 3 and 4 respectively spent Ksh. 1-5000 while 25% and 22.2% of households with typology 1 and 2 respectively spent Ksh. 5000-10,000. Advanced typology 6 with one-level storage point supplies rainwater to all parts of the household by gravity. This eliminates operation costs spent on energy consumption due to pumping of water, thus minimizing overall management cost spent on rainwater harvesting systems in household buildings.
International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 2010
Road safety continues to be an intractable problem for Kenya's transport system despite ... more Road safety continues to be an intractable problem for Kenya's transport system despite many years of initiatives to reduce the carnage. With the number of drivers on the increase, it is clear that extra care must be taken while driving. In 2001, the World Health Organisation rated ...
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Papers by gerryshom munala