- Asbestos was widely used in Kenyan buildings constructed before the 1990s in roofing sheets, ceiling tiles, floor tiles, pipe lagging, and fire insulation.
- Disturbed or damaged asbestos releases microscopic fibres that cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer — with no safe level of exposure.
- Asbestos removal is a highly regulated specialist activity requiring trained and appropriately equipped contractors.
- An asbestos survey must be conducted before any renovation, demolition, or maintenance work on buildings of uncertain age or history.
- Removed asbestos materials must be double-bagged, labelled, and disposed of at licensed waste facilities in compliance with Kenya’s environmental regulations.
- Bestcare Facilities Management provides professional asbestos survey, removal, and disposal services across Nairobi and Kenya.
Asbestos was once celebrated as a miracle building material — fire-resistant, durable, and affordable. It was extensively used in Kenya throughout the mid and late twentieth century in corrugated asbestos cement roofing sheets (widely used on residential, commercial, and institutional buildings), ceiling tiles, floor tiles, pipe insulation, boiler lagging, and fire protection boards. Many buildings across Nairobi and Kenya that remain in use today still contain significant quantities of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).
When asbestos-containing materials are in good condition and undisturbed, they present a manageable risk. But when they are broken, damaged, drilled, cut, or disturbed during renovation or demolition works, they release fine asbestos fibres into the air that, when inhaled, embed permanently in lung tissue and cause devastating diseases — often decades after exposure. Asbestos-related diseases kill thousands of people across Africa each year. The only safe approach to asbestos in buildings is professional survey, risk assessment, and — where necessary — professional removal and safe disposal by trained specialists.
Types of Asbestos Services
Asbestos Management Survey identifies all accessible materials within a building that may contain asbestos, assesses their condition and risk level, and produces an asbestos register that the building owner must maintain and make available to anyone who may disturb the materials.
Pre-Demolition and Pre-Refurbishment Asbestos Survey is a more intrusive survey conducted before any demolition or major renovation work, involving physical sampling of materials in areas that will be disturbed, to ensure all ACMs are identified before work commences.
Asbestos Roof Removal is one of the most common asbestos removal tasks in Kenya, involving the careful removal and disposal of corrugated asbestos cement roof sheets using wet methods and full respiratory protection to minimise fibre release.
Asbestos Encapsulation applies a specialist sealant coating to intact, well-bonded asbestos materials that are in good condition and not scheduled for disturbance, sealing the surface and reducing the risk of fibre release without removing the material.
Licensed Asbestos Removal and Disposal involves the full removal of friable or damaged ACMs under controlled conditions, with physical containment, negative air pressure where required, full PPE for all workers, double-bagging of waste, and licensed disposal.
Estimated Cost of Asbestos Services in Kenya
| Service | Unit | Estimated Cost (KES) |
|---|---|---|
| Asbestos management survey | Per property | 20,000 – 80,000 |
| Pre-demolition asbestos survey | Per property | 30,000 – 120,000 |
| Asbestos roof sheet removal | Per m² | 1,500 – 4,000 |
| Asbestos encapsulation | Per m² | 800 – 2,500 |
| Asbestos ceiling tile removal | Per m² | 2,000 – 6,000 |
| Asbestos pipe lagging removal | Per linear metre | 3,000 – 8,000 |
| Asbestos waste disposal (licensed) | Per tonne | 15,000 – 40,000 |
| Air monitoring during removal | Per project | 15,000 – 50,000 |
Note: All asbestos work must comply with Kenya’s environmental and occupational health regulations. Contact Bestcare Facilities Management for a site-specific quotation.
Contact Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Bestcare Facilities Management |
| Phone | 0709 004 600 |
| Address | Mpaka Plaza, Westlands, Nairobi |
| info@bestcareservices.co.ke | |
| Website | www.bestcareservices.co.ke |
Contact us today for professional asbestos survey, removal, and disposal services.