The contractor sends a photo of a framed certificate over WhatsApp. It has the authority's logo, a registration number and a category. You are in Leeds or Dallas, the foundation money is ready, and the photo is the only proof you have been given. NCA contractor verification takes a few minutes on the National Construction Authority's own website, and it tells you far more than the photo can.
This guide covers what the law requires, what the register lets you check, and what to ask for before any money leaves your account.
Does your builder need to be registered at all?
Mostly yes, with one exception many diaspora families rely on.
Section 15(1) of the National Construction Authority Act, 2011 says a person "shall not carry on the business of a contractor" unless registered by the NCA Board. Under section 15(3), doing so is an offence with a fine of up to one million shillings, up to three years in prison, or both, plus up to KES 100,000 for every day the offence continues.
Section 16 then sets out who is not treated as a contractor. Two cases are excluded: work below a cost limit the Board sets, and "a residential house for private use, not requiring a structural design." We could not find the cost limit the Board has set under that first case, so we do not rely on it here.
In practice:
- A simple single-storey family home with no structural design can lawfully be built by an unregistered fundi.
- A storey house, a maisonette with a suspended slab, a block of rental units or anything an engineer has designed should have an NCA-registered contractor.
Our earlier guide on supervising construction from abroad covers what to do when your builder falls under the exception.
Step 1: Search the NCA register yourself
Go to the NCA's Search Registered Contractors page. Type the address in yourself. Do not use a link the contractor sends.
The form lets you search by company name, registration number, category, county, licence status and certificate status. Search by the registration number on the certificate first, then by the company name. Both should lead to the same firm.
Then check three things against what you have been told:
- The name. It should match the company on your contract and on the bank account you are asked to pay. A different name on the account is a reason to stop.
- The licence status. Registration and the annual practising licence are separate. A firm can be on the register with a lapsed licence.
- The category and class of works. This is the part most people skip.
The Act gives anyone the right to inspect the register. Section 21(3) says "any person may inspect the register" and get a certified extract from the Registrar for a fee. If the online search gives you nothing, or a result you do not trust, ask the NCA in writing.
Step 2: Match the NCA category to your project value
NCA registration is not one licence. Contractors are registered in a category from NCA1 to NCA8 for a class of works, and each category has a ceiling on contract value. The NCA's local contractors page lists these limits for building works:
- NCA1: unlimited
- NCA2: up to KES 500 million
- NCA3: up to KES 300 million
- NCA4: up to KES 200 million
- NCA5: up to KES 100 million
- NCA6: up to KES 50 million
- NCA7: up to KES 20 million
- NCA8: up to KES 10 million
Electrical and mechanical work has its own, lower ceilings. NCA8 there stops at KES 5 million. Roads, water and other civil works run higher, with NCA8 at KES 20 million.
So a firm registered as NCA8 for building works should not be signing a KES 15 million contract for your four-unit block. A firm registered only for building works should not be the one wiring the house unless it also holds the electrical class. The NCA page notes that electrical installations also need an EPRA licence.
If you are working out what your build should cost before you compare quotes, our three-bedroom cost breakdown shows the rates and the working.
Step 3: Check the licence is current for this financial year
Contractors renew their practising licence every year. The NCA's renewal page says renewal "typically falls in the month of july," and a firm must first attend at least one recognised professional development event to earn 10 CPD points.
Kenyans.co.ke reported on 14 July 2026 that the NCA set a 31 July deadline for the 2026/2027 renewals, and that firms that miss it risk being locked out of new work in that financial year.
The renewal fee is small at the bottom of the scale. The NCA lists KES 2,500 a year for an NCA8 firm and KES 30,000 for NCA1. A lapsed licence at that price is worth a direct question.
If you are checking in August or later, the licence you want to see is for 2026/2027. A certificate dated last year is not enough.
Step 4: Register the project, which is your job, not the builder's
Look at who this falls on. The NCA's project registration page states that "it is the responsibility of the developer and not the contractor to register his/her project." The page gives a 30-day window from the date the contract or tender is awarded, and says registration "is currently free of charge."
The checklist on that page includes:
- a contractor registered with the NCA, with a valid practising licence for the current financial year
- consultants such as engineers, architects and quantity surveyors registered with their professional bodies
- approved architectural and structural drawings and planning approvals
- a signed bill of quantities summary, your KRA PIN and the signed contract
You lodge it through the NCA's online project registration system. If the contractor offers to "handle the NCA side" for a fee, remember that the page says registration costs nothing, and that the duty sits with you.
Having a signed bill of quantities ready helps here too. Our guide to reading a BOQ explains what to look for before you sign it.
Why the NCA is checking more closely in 2026
Enforcement has picked up this year. The Standard reported on 29 June 2026 that the NCA launched a crackdown on developers adding unapproved floors after a 16-storey building collapsed in South C, Nairobi, on 2 January. The same report said county records flagged the site in May, July and December 2025.
The article also gave figures from an NCA audit of 14,925 buildings, of which 10,791 were found unsafe and 723 very dangerous. It said penalties for contractors range from a caution to suspension and deregistration, with serious cases sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A side note on the register itself. Section 20 of the Act asks the Registrar to publish the names of registered contractors in the Kenya Gazette after 1 January and 1 June each year, and section 21 makes that listing prima facie evidence of registration. We did not check how regularly those Gazette lists appear. The online search is the faster tool, but if a dispute ever reaches a court, the Gazette and a certified extract are what count.
What to ask the contractor for, in writing
Before the first payment, ask for:
- The registration number, category and class of works, so you can run the search yourself.
- The current practising licence for 2026/2027.
- The KRA PIN and the company name exactly as it appears on the bank account.
- The names of the engineer and quantity surveyor on the job, if there is a structural design.
The NCA also runs a search for registered construction workers and site supervisors if you want to check the foreman.
Asking for all four in one message makes any gap easy to spot. If you would like a second pair of eyes on what comes back before you transfer anything, you can book a call with Karibu.
Run the search on your own phone, before the deposit leaves your account.
Sources: National Construction Authority Act, 2011, revised edition 2012, ss15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 24 (Kenya Law text, KPDA copy). NCA, Search Registered Contractors. NCA, Local Contractor Registration. NCA, Renewal of Practising Licence. NCA, Project Registration. Kenyans.co.ke, 14 July 2026. The Standard, 29 June 2026. This article is general information, not legal or financial advice.