Imports of elevators from Japan went up by 51.5 percent last year underlining the ongoing construction boom in the country.
Lifts are commonly used in offices, public buildings, and other types of multi-storey buildings such as residential apartments and malls to offer users fast transportation between floors.
Under the building code, developers in Kenya are required to install at least one passenger lift in a building comprising of more than six storeys. The lift should be installed with safety features, such as emergency stop buttons, interlocks, and automatic shut-off switches.
Data from the Japanese Ministry of Finance shows the Asian country exported 4,414 lifts to Kenya in 2023. This is a record high and was 1,502 more lifts than the 2,912 lifts that Kenyan firms imported from the country in 2022.
The last time local firms imported nearly as many lifts was in 2019 when they shipped in 3,695 units. This quantity dropped sharply in 2020 due to the trade restrictions caused by Covid-19 pandemic which saw just 962 units imported in that year. As the impact of the pandemic started to dissipate and global trade reopened gradually, demand for lifts from Japan picked up once again, growing to 1,728 units in 2021.
Lifts are increasingly becoming a necessity in modern buildings to make it easier for users to navigate between floors. While in the past they used to be primarily in commercial buildings such as offices, more residential properties are now installing lifts in their apartments to give residents a better experience.
The lifts are imported by firms that resell them locally at a margin, but some property developers prefer to import their units directly. Kenyaโs construction sector has been growing steadily in recent years supported by a boom in residential properties as developers seek to plug the deficit of an estimated 250,000 housing units annually
