Open data
What construction actually costs in Kenya, item by item
A dated price list for materials, labour, services and professional fees, adjusted for where the lorry has to deliver. Free to read, free to reuse, and updated every quarter.
Materials cost what they cost standing on your plot, not in a Nairobi yard. Changing this adjusts every figure for haulage.
Nanyuki and Laikipia. Our base. Stone comes from the Laikipia and Meru quarries, sand mostly from the Ewaso Ng'iro and Timau side. Cement and steel come up from Nairobi or Nakuru, which is the main reason materials here sit a little above Nairobi yard prices.
Cement, sand and aggregate
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement, 50kg bagCheapest bought by the full lorry rather than in tens. Do not buy more than about six weeks ahead, cement has a shelf life and hardens in the bag. | bag | KES 650 | KES 780 | KES 900 |
| River sandPriced by distance from the river more than anything else. An 18 tonne lorry delivered around Nanyuki typically runs KES 30,000 to 45,000 including county cess. | tonne | KES 1,600 | KES 2,200 | KES 2,900 |
| Ballast, crushed stoneAn 18 tonne lorry usually lands between KES 27,000 and KES 34,000. Check the size before you accept a load, oversize ballast wastes cement. | tonne | KES 1,500 | KES 1,900 | KES 2,500 |
| HardcoreCompaction matters more than the stone. Hardcore laid in one thick layer and not compacted is the commonest cause of a cracked ground slab. | tonne | KES 900 | KES 1,300 | KES 1,800 |
| MurramUsed for access roads and backfill. Widely available across Laikipia. | tonne | KES 700 | KES 1,100 | KES 1,600 |
Steel and reinforcement
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deformed bar, Y12Steel tracks the global market and moves faster than anything else on site. Buy the whole structural requirement in one order if you can. | length of 12m | KES 1,150 | KES 1,350 | KES 1,600 |
| Deformed bar, Y16 | length of 12m | KES 2,000 | KES 2,400 | KES 2,850 |
| Reinforcement steel, by weightHow engineers and quantity surveyors price it. Useful for checking a supplier quote against the market. | tonne | KES 95,000 | KES 108,000 | KES 125,000 |
| BRC mesh, A142For ground slabs and screeds. | roll | KES 9,500 | KES 12,000 | KES 15,000 |
| Binding wire | kg | KES 180 | KES 230 | KES 300 |
Walling and blockwork
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machine cut stone, 6 by 9 inchThe standard wall in this region. Price depends on the quarry, the size and how far the lorry travels. Ask for the cess receipt, it should come with the load. | piece | KES 20 | KES 30 | KES 42 |
| Machine cut stone, 9 by 9 inchUsed for boundary walls, retaining walls and thicker external walls. | piece | KES 35 | KES 48 | KES 65 |
| Concrete block, 6 inchFaster to lay than stone and often cheaper where there is no quarry nearby. Insist on blocks that have been cured properly, green blocks crack. | piece | KES 65 | KES 90 | KES 120 |
| Interlocking soil blockMade on site from soil and a little cement. Saves on mortar and transport, and works well on remote plots. Needs the right soil, so test first. | piece | KES 45 | KES 65 | KES 90 |
| Plaster sand | tonne | KES 1,800 | KES 2,400 | KES 3,200 |
Roofing
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box profile mabati, gauge 30The common budget choice. Gauge 30 is thin, and on an exposed Laikipia site the wind will find it. Gauge 28 is usually worth the difference. | linear metre | KES 480 | KES 560 | KES 680 |
| Box profile mabati, gauge 28 | linear metre | KES 550 | KES 660 | KES 800 |
| Tile profile or versatile mabatiLooks like a tiled roof at a fraction of the weight, so the roof structure can be lighter. | linear metre | KES 620 | KES 780 | KES 980 |
| Stone coated roofing tileQuieter in rain and much longer lasting. Needs a stronger roof structure, so price the timber with it. | m² | KES 1,200 | KES 1,900 | KES 3,200 |
| Roof timber, 4 by 2 cypressBuy dry. Green roof timber twists and lifts the sheets within a season. | foot run | KES 55 | KES 75 | KES 100 |
| Gutters and downpipes, PVCNot optional here. Roof water is the cheapest water you will ever get, and in Laikipia it fills a tank fast. | linear metre | KES 450 | KES 700 | KES 1,100 |
Timber and joinery
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cypress timber, 6 by 1 | foot run | KES 40 | KES 58 | KES 80 |
| Solid cypress door and frame, fittedThe price gap between a dry door and a green one is small. The gap in how they behave after one dry season is not. | each | KES 14,000 | KES 22,000 | KES 34,000 |
| Mahogany door and frame, fittedMain entrance doors sit at the top of this range, especially double leaf. | each | KES 28,000 | KES 45,000 | KES 85,000 |
| Fitted wardrobeMeasured off the finished wall rather than the drawing, which is why ours have no filler strips. | linear metre | KES 18,000 | KES 28,000 | KES 48,000 |
| Kitchen units, base and wallWorktop is priced separately. Granite and quartz are the usual jump in cost. | linear metre | KES 22,000 | KES 38,000 | KES 75,000 |
| Timber panelled ceiling | m² | KES 1,800 | KES 2,800 | KES 4,500 |
| Solid timber floor, laid and finishedMoisture in the screed is what ruins timber floors. It has to be dry before boards go down, and that is a programme decision, not a materials one. | m² | KES 3,200 | KES 5,000 | KES 9,000 |
Finishes
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor tiles, supplied | m² | KES 900 | KES 1,600 | KES 4,000 |
| Tiling, laying only | m² | KES 350 | KES 550 | KES 900 |
| Emulsion paint, 20 litre | bucket | KES 2,200 | KES 4,200 | KES 8,000 |
| Exterior weatherproof paint, 20 litreAt 2,000m and above the sun is harsh. Cheap exterior paint fades in two years and you pay twice. | bucket | KES 6,500 | KES 9,500 | KES 15,000 |
| Aluminium window, supplied and fixed | m² | KES 6,500 | KES 11,000 | KES 22,000 |
| Steel casement window, supplied and fixed | m² | KES 4,500 | KES 7,500 | KES 12,000 |
Plumbing, electrical and water
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borehole, drilled and equippedDepth to water decides this, and around Laikipia it varies enormously over short distances. A hydrogeological survey and the NEMA and WRA permits come first, and they are not optional. | each | KES 900,000 | KES 1,600,000 | KES 3,000,000 |
| Plastic water tank, 10,000 litreIncludes the base in most quotes but check. A tank on unlevel ground fails at the outlet. | each | KES 78,000 | KES 95,000 | KES 125,000 |
| Septic tank and soakpit | each | KES 180,000 | KES 320,000 | KES 600,000 |
| BiodigesterTakes less space than a septic tank and soakpit, which matters on a small plot or where the ground does not soak. | each | KES 150,000 | KES 260,000 | KES 480,000 |
| Solar system with battery, about 3kWEnough for lighting, sockets, a fridge and a pump on most family houses. Electric water heating and cooking are what push a system into the millions. | system | KES 450,000 | KES 750,000 | KES 1,400,000 |
| Solar water heater, 200 litreRequired by regulation on many new houses, and it pays for itself faster than any other single item here. | each | KES 95,000 | KES 145,000 | KES 240,000 |
| Electrical point, wired and fitted | point | KES 1,800 | KES 2,800 | KES 4,500 |
| Kenya Power connection, ordinaryCheap if a transformer is close, expensive if poles have to be run to your plot. Ask the neighbours before you assume. | each | KES 35,000 | KES 60,000 | KES 180,000 |
Labour
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General labourer | day | KES 500 | KES 700 | KES 900 |
| Mason or fundi | day | KES 1,200 | KES 1,600 | KES 2,200 |
| Carpenter | day | KES 1,200 | KES 1,700 | KES 2,400 |
| Steel fixer | day | KES 1,300 | KES 1,800 | KES 2,500 |
| Foreman or site supervisor | day | KES 2,200 | KES 2,900 | KES 3,800 |
| Labour only, whole houseHow labour-only contracts are usually priced when the client buys materials. Roughly a quarter to a third of the total build cost. | m² | KES 9,000 | KES 14,000 | KES 22,000 |
Professional and statutory fees
| Item | Unit | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural designThe BORAQS scale sets 6 percent as the minimum for full architectural service. A drawings-only package for a modest house is often quoted as a fixed fee instead. | % of construction cost | 5% | 7% | 12% |
| Structural engineering | % of construction cost | 1.5% | 2.5% | 4% |
| Quantity surveying | % of construction cost | 1.5% | 2% | 3.5% |
| County plan approval, residentialEvery county sets its own schedule and charges by size and use. Laikipia is commonly quoted around KES 50,000 for a residential site. Confirm the current figure with the county, it changes with each finance act. | each | KES 15,000 | KES 50,000 | KES 120,000 |
| Soil investigation and testThe cheapest insurance in construction. A test costs a fraction of one cracked house. | each | KES 35,000 | KES 65,000 | KES 150,000 |
| Land survey and beacon setting | each | KES 25,000 | KES 50,000 | KES 120,000 |
| NEMA project report where requiredNeeded for larger developments, boreholes and anything near a river or conservancy. | each | KES 60,000 | KES 120,000 | KES 350,000 |
Where these numbers come from
This edition is compiled from published Kenyan supplier price lists, industry cost guides, county finance schedules and the BORAQS scale of professional fees, reviewed in August 2026. Every figure carries a low, a typical and a high, because a single number would be a lie about a market this variable.
Regional figures are the base price adjusted by a haulage factor rather than separately surveyed. That is a simplification and we would rather say so than pretend to a precision we do not have. It is accurate enough to plan with and not accurate enough to order from.
The list is reviewed quarterly. The next review is due November 2026. Every past version stays in the public record, which over time turns this page into something more useful than a price list: a record of what building in Kenya has actually cost, year by year.
Sources for this edition
- Published Kenyan supplier price lists (cement, steel, mabati, stone, timber)
- Kenyan quantity surveying and construction cost guides, 2026 editions
- Laikipia County finance schedules for approval and permit charges
- BORAQS scale of professional fees
Use it in your own work
The whole price list is published as JSON. No key, no sign up, no rate limit, no tracking. If you are a quantity surveyor, a developer, a bank, a journalist or a student, take it and use it. All we ask is a link back, which is what the licence requires anyway.
GET https://timberstone.co.ke/api/prices/v1/latest.json # everything, current edition
GET https://timberstone.co.ke/api/prices/v1/regions.json # counties and their adjustment factors
GET https://timberstone.co.ke/api/prices/v1/rates.json # cost per m² by finish level
GET https://timberstone.co.ke/api/prices/v1/index.json # what is available, and the version- Licence
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Use it commercially, change it, build on it. Credit TimberStone Ltd and link to this page.
- Format
- Static JSON files served from the same domain. Cacheable, fast, and they will not disappear behind a paywall.
- Versions
- Each edition carries a version and a review date. Current edition is 2026.08.
Paid a different price? Tell us and it improves the list
Right now we publish what we see in the market and what we pay ourselves. The next step is to open it up, so anyone building anywhere in Kenya can check a price against what other people actually paid last month rather than against a national average that fits nobody.
If you have a recent receipt, delivery note or written quote, send us a photograph of it with the item, the county and the date. We will check it and it goes into the next edition.
What we publish
A range and a typical figure, with how many submissions sit behind it. Never your receipt, never your name and never the supplier you used.
What we check
Every submission is read by a person against the document before it counts. Anything we cannot verify is left out rather than averaged in.
What you get
A price list that tells you whether you are being quoted fairly in your county, which is something no national average can do.
Submissions are handled under the Data Protection Act 2019. We keep the document only long enough to verify the figure, we publish nothing that identifies you or your supplier, and you can ask us to remove a submission at any time.
Want these prices applied to your own plot?
We will come and look at the ground, then give you an itemised figure built from real supplier quotes rather than an average.