Nairobi: The Ministry of Health has called on built environment professionals to place health, dignity, and inclusion at the centre of Kenya's infrastructure development agenda, emphasizing that architecture and urban planning play a critical role in disease prevention and public well-being.
According to Kenya News Agency, Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary (PS) Mary Muriuki stated that the built environment must be viewed as a key pillar in promoting healthier and safer communities. Speaking during the opening of the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Seminar in Nairobi, she noted that people spend nearly 90 percent of their time indoors, making the quality of buildings and public spaces a major determinant of health outcomes.
Citing global data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Muriuki mentioned that unhealthy environments contribute to an estimated 12.6 million deaths annually worldwide due to factors such as poor air quality, inadequate sanitation, unsafe housing, and climate-related hazards. She underscored that the built environment is fundamentally about life, health, safety, and dignity, beyond just structures and aesthetics.
Muriuki highlighted the impact of poorly designed spaces on communities, noting that overcrowded settlements can accelerate the spread of communicable diseases, while inadequate drainage systems contribute to flooding and waterborne illnesses. She pointed out that poorly ventilated classrooms negatively affect learning outcomes, and poorly designed hospitals can compromise patient safety and staff efficiency.
The PS emphasized the growing global shift from treatment to prevention in healthcare, stating that investments in healthier environments and resilient infrastructure generate significant long-term savings. She cited evidence that prevention is not only more humane but also more cost-effective, with public health interventions yielding substantial returns on investment.
Muriuki urged architects, engineers, planners, quantity surveyors, and policymakers to collaborate in integrating health considerations into every stage of project delivery, from planning and material selection to construction and maintenance. She called for the adoption of universal access and gender-sensitive design principles to ensure infrastructure equitably serves all groups, including women, children, older persons, and persons living with disabilities.
She stressed the importance of aligning infrastructure development with Ministry of Health standards, the National Building Code, and Kenya's climate adaptation priorities to create sustainable and resilient communities. Muriuki also encouraged professionals in the built environment sector to embrace emerging concepts such as trauma-informed and neuro-inclusive design, noting that physical spaces can either support healing or contribute to stress and anxiety.
Muriuki commended BORAQS for convening the forum, describing the theme as 'visionary and necessary' because it places human well-being at the heart of design, construction, and infrastructure management. The two-day seminar is being held under the theme 'Health, Dignity, and Inclusion in the Built Environment.'