How to Register as an Architect or Quantity Surveyor in Kenya: The BORAQS Pathway, Graduate Membership, Professional Examinations and the AAK and IQSK Routes

The professions of architecture and quantity surveying in Kenya are regulated by the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS), established in 1934 under what is now Chapter 525 of the Laws of Kenya — making it one of the oldest professional regulatory bodies in the country. The Board's mandate is to regulate the professions of Architecture and Quantity Surveying through training, registration, and enhancement of ethical practice. Together with the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) for architects and the Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK) for quantity surveyors — the parallel professional bodies — BORAQS forms the architecture within which the country's built-environment professionals are trained, examined, registered, and held to ongoing ethical and competence standards. For a graduating Bachelor of Architecture or Bachelor of Quantity Surveying student, a young professional accumulating practical experience, and a senior practitioner aspiring to lead-consultant roles, understanding the BORAQS pathway is essential. This guide walks through the legal framework, the accredited training programmes, the graduate and professional registration categories, the documentary and examination requirements, the personal protective equipment and on-site training framework introduced in recent years, and the implications for diaspora-trained architects and quantity surveyors seeking to practise in Kenya.

The Legal Framework

Chapter 525 of the Laws of Kenya — the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Act — is the master statute. The Act establishes BORAQS and confers on it the powers of registration, examination, and discipline. The Board is governed by directors representing the architecture and quantity surveying professions, the academic institutions, the construction industry, and the public interest. The Board's offices are in Nairobi at Sheikh Karume Road in Ngara, with the regulatory framework supported by the AAK (for architects) headquartered at AAK House on Westlands Road, and the IQSK (for quantity surveyors).

The Accredited Training Programmes

BORAQS recognises Bachelor of Architecture programmes at the University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenyatta University, the Technical University of Kenya, the Technical University of Mombasa, and several other accredited institutions. Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (or BSc Quantity Surveying / BSc Construction Management with quantity surveying option) programmes are offered at the University of Nairobi, JKUAT, Kenyatta University, Mount Kenya University, and others. The Board maintains an updated list of accredited programmes on its portal.

The Three-Stage Registration Pathway

The BORAQS pathway for both architects and quantity surveyors runs in three stages. Stage one is Graduate Member registration, available immediately upon completion of an accredited Bachelor's degree. Stage two is on-site training and practical experience accumulation under a registered Architect or Quantity Surveyor over a defined period (typically two years), with attendance at structured BORAQS-organised training sessions. Stage three is the Professional Examination, on the successful passing of which the candidate is registered as an Architect or Quantity Surveyor entitled to practise independently and to sign off on project deliverables.

Stage 1: Graduate Member Registration

A graduate of an accredited Bachelor of Architecture or Bachelor of Quantity Surveying programme applies for Graduate Member registration with BORAQS, in parallel with applying for Graduate Member status with the appropriate professional body (AAK for architects, IQSK for quantity surveyors). Required documents include the National Identity Card or passport, certified academic certificates and transcripts in English (with English translations where the original is in another language), passport-size photographs, a Curriculum Vitae, and the prescribed application fee. Where the candidate's name on academic certificates differs from the National Identity Card, supporting documentation (marriage certificate, Deed Poll) is required.

Stage 2: On-Site Training and Practical Experience

The Graduate Member accumulates practical experience under the supervision of a registered Professional Architect or Quantity Surveyor in an active practice. The trainer must be a member in good standing of AAK or IQSK and BORAQS-registered. The Graduate Member maintains a Logbook documenting projects worked on, the role and responsibilities, the supervisor's review, and the development of professional competence. BORAQS organises structured training sessions during the on-site training period — workshops, seminars, technical talks, professional ethics modules — which the Graduate Member must attend.

The Board has introduced explicit safety requirements for on-site training. All Graduate Members and their trainers must possess minimum Personal Protective Equipment (reflector jacket, helmet, safety boots, gloves) and the Graduate Member must hold a Personal Accident Insurance cover for the on-site training period. These requirements reflect the construction-site reality in which Graduate Members work and the Board's commitment to professional safety.

Stage 3: The Professional Examination

On completion of the on-site training period and the attendance at all required BORAQS training sessions, the Graduate Member sits the Professional Examination. The examination tests the candidate's professional competence across the principal areas of practice — design and technical knowledge for architects; measurement, contracts, and construction cost management for quantity surveyors; and shared knowledge of professional ethics, contracts, building law, and project management for both disciplines. The examination format combines written papers, project portfolios reflecting the candidate's on-site work, and an oral interview before a Board panel.

Candidates who pass the Professional Examination are registered as Professional Architects or Professional Quantity Surveyors and entitled to use the corresponding designation (RIBA-equivalent Architect status; ICMS-equivalent Quantity Surveyor status). Candidates who fail any component of the examination may re-sit at the next scheduled examination diet, typically held twice per year.

Professional Membership: AAK and IQSK

The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), founded in 1967, is the principal professional body for architects, with parallel sections covering quantity surveyors, urban designers, town planners, landscape architects, and other built-environment professions. The Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK) is the dedicated learned society for quantity surveyors. Both organisations operate parallel membership grades — Graduate Member, Member, Fellow — that broadly track the BORAQS registration categories. Membership in good standing is a prerequisite for BORAQS registration in the corresponding grade.

AAK and IQSK run Continuing Professional Development programmes, technical conferences, branch meetings, journals, and the professional community of practice that complements BORAQS's regulatory role. Their CPD activities also satisfy the BORAQS annual practice licence requirements for CPD points.

Annual Practice Licence Renewal

Beyond initial Professional registration, every registered Architect and Quantity Surveyor must renew their annual practice licence each year by paying the prescribed renewal fee and meeting the Continuing Professional Development requirement. The CPD framework requires defined annual points earned through approved conferences, training programmes, technical seminars, and professional learning activities. Failure to renew suspends the practitioner's practice rights until the licence is restored.

Diaspora-Trained Architects and Quantity Surveyors

Kenyan citizens who completed their architecture or quantity surveying training abroad and now wish to practise in Kenya follow a recognition pathway with BORAQS. The Board reviews the foreign training programme against Kenyan accreditation standards; programmes from jurisdictions with bilateral recognition arrangements (RIBA Part 1/2/3 in the UK, NAAB-accredited programmes in the US, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors equivalency for quantity surveyors) are typically accepted as substantially equivalent subject to documentary verification. Candidates from non-recognised jurisdictions undergo a fuller equivalence review that may require additional bridging coursework or examinations.

Diaspora-trained Kenyan citizens enjoy the citizen fee schedule regardless of training location. Diaspora architects and quantity surveyors planning a return to Kenya should begin the BORAQS recognition process at least six months before the planned return to allow for verification correspondence with the foreign accreditation body.

Consulting Practice and Project Sign-Off

Only BORAQS-registered Professional Architects and Quantity Surveyors are entitled to sign off on engineering and built-environment deliverables in regulated contexts — building plan submissions to county authorities, professional certifications, contract documents, statutory inspections, and project handovers. Construction works of any meaningful scale require the involvement of registered professionals at the design, supervision, and certification stages. Unregistered practice is an offence under the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Act and attracts substantial penalties.

The Role in the Built Environment

Architects and quantity surveyors are the two principal lead consultants on most building and infrastructure projects in Kenya. The architect leads design, project conceptualisation, and overall building geometry, materials, and aesthetic; the quantity surveyor leads cost estimation, contract administration, valuation of work done, and overall project financial control. Together with civil and structural engineers (EBK-registered), mechanical and electrical engineers, and other specialists, they form the consultant team that takes a project from concept through to handover. The professional credibility conferred by BORAQS registration is the foundation of consulting practice in the sector.

Practical Tips for Architecture and Quantity Surveying Graduates

First, apply for AAK or IQSK Graduate Member status and BORAQS Graduate Member registration immediately on graduation. The credentials are required for most professional employment in the sector. Second, secure employment under direct supervision of a Professional Architect or Quantity Surveyor in active practice. Time spent in roles without the prescribed supervision does not count towards the on-site training requirement. Third, maintain the Logbook from day one of practical experience. Reconstructing the Logbook at the examination application stage is difficult and risks rejection. Fourth, invest in the required Personal Protective Equipment and Personal Accident Insurance cover from day one of on-site work — both are mandatory and BORAQS verifies. Fifth, attend the BORAQS structured training sessions; missed sessions may delay examination eligibility.

The Bigger Picture

The architecture and quantity surveying professions in Kenya are well-regulated, internationally portable through professional recognition arrangements, and central to the built-environment economy that contributes a substantial share of Kenya's GDP. The BORAQS pathway is rigorous but predictable. Young Kenyans entering these professions benefit from the structured progression from undergraduate degree through Graduate Member status, on-site training, professional examination, and Professional registration. For diaspora-trained Kenyans, the recognition pathway provides a clear route back to Kenyan practice. For the public, the regulation ensures that the people designing and costing the buildings, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure that shape daily life have demonstrated both academic foundation and supervised practical competence.

The Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors publishes the registration forms, fee schedule, examination requirements, and accredited programmes list. The Architectural Association of Kenya publishes the architect membership framework and CPD activities, and the Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya publishes the quantity surveyor membership framework.