Kenya Lift Examination: OSHA 2007 Section 63 Explained
By Sujit Katariya, ElevatorPlus · Published [DATE] · Last updated [DATE] · ~8 min read · Compliance reviewed by Mr. Sumeet Katariya
In short: Kenya has no lift-specific regulations. Lift examination is governed directly by section 63 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007. This is written for lift companies operating in Kenya, and it covers the actual interval, who is permitted to carry out the examination, the fourteen-day register deadline, and a notice requirement for buildings that are not workplaces which most owners never file.
Key takeaways
- The governing provision is section 63, not section 65. Section 65 covers cranes and other lifting machines. Getting this wrong is the fastest way to look unfamiliar with Kenyan law.
- Six months for powered lifts, twelve months for lifts not connected with mechanical power. Section 63(9)(a) sets the twelve-month variant, and most summaries omit it.
- The examiner is "a person approved for the purposes of this section by the Director by certificate in writing." Not a competent person, and not an authorised examiner. Kenya's Act defines "approved person" only for steam boilers, in a different section.
- The report must be entered in the general register within fourteen days. That deadline is in the statute, and it is the requirement most often missed.
- Buildings that are not workplaces still have a duty. Section 106(2) requires the occupier to notify the Director in writing within one month of the lift first being used.
What this guide covers: which section applies · the interval and its exception · who may examine · the register and its deadline · defect reporting · the notice for non-workplace buildings · what does not exist · FAQs.
Section 63, not 65
The Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007 handles machinery safety in Part VII. Lifts sit in section 63. Cranes and other lifting machines sit in section 65, and steam boilers in section 67.
We raise the distinction because a surprising amount of published guidance on Kenyan lift compliance cites the wrong section, and a client or an inspector will notice.
Section 63(1) sets the base duty:
"Every hoist or lift shall be of good mechanical construction, sound material and adequate strength, free from patent defect and be properly maintained."
The interval, and the exception nobody quotes
Section 63(2), verbatim:
"Every hoist or lift shall be thoroughly examined at least once in every period of six months or after any modifications or extensive repairs or within a shorter period, by a person approved for the purposes of this section by the Director by certificate in writing, and a report of the result of every such examination, in the prescribed form and containing the prescribed particulars, shall be signed by the person carrying out the examination and shall be entered in or attached to the general register within fourteen days of the examination."
Three obligations sit inside that one sentence: the examination, the signed report in the prescribed form, and the register entry within fourteen days.
The exception. Section 63(9)(a) replaces six months with twelve months for a hoist or lift "not connected with mechanical power." So a manually operated hoist runs on a different clock from a powered passenger lift, and a blanket six-month policy across a mixed estate is over-servicing part of it.
| Equipment | Examination interval | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hoist or lift connected with mechanical power | At least every 6 months | s.63(2) |
| Hoist or lift not connected with mechanical power | At least every 12 months | s.63(9)(a) |
| After modification or extensive repair | Examination required regardless of cycle | s.63(2) |
👉 Running a mixed estate across several Kenyan sites? Our free service checklist and report templates are structured so each unit's own interval stays visible.
Who may carry out the examination ?
The statutory phrase is precise and it is not the one most people use:
"a person approved for the purposes of this section by the Director by certificate in writing"
Two terms to avoid.
"Competent person" is defined in section 2 of the Act, but it governs operation and use rather than the section 63 examination. Using it here describes a different legal category.
"Approved person" as a defined term exists in the Act only inside section 67, and that definition is expressly limited to steam boilers. There is no general section 2 definition of approved person or authorised person.
The Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services refers in practice to "Approved Persons (Plant Examiners)," which is useful shorthand for finding one but is not the statutory wording. When you are writing a contract or a compliance statement, quote section 63(2).
The register, and the fourteen days
The report has to be signed by the person carrying out the examination and entered in or attached to the general register within fourteen days of the examination.
That deadline is statutory, not guidance. In our experience it is the single most commonly missed requirement in Kenyan lift compliance, and the reason is mundane: the examiner leaves with the paperwork, the register lives at the site, and nobody owns the step in between.
Sections 122 and 123 govern the general register's content and require it to be preserved for at least three years.
When the examination finds a problem
Section 63(3) sets a much shorter clock. If the examination shows the lift cannot continue to be used safely without repairs, the area occupational safety and health officer must be notified within twenty-four hours of the completion of the examination, with written notice in the prescribed form to follow within seven days.
Twenty-four hours is not a working-day figure in the text. If an examination on a Friday finds a serious defect, that clock does not wait for Monday.
The notice most building owners never file
This one is worth flagging to your customers, because it applies to buildings that are not workplaces and therefore falls outside the duties most owners think about.
Section 106(2):
"the occupier shall, within one month after the date upon which the hoist or lift is first used, send to the Director a written notice of the address at which the hoist or lift is used."
So a residential or commercial building with a lift has a notification duty to the Director within one month of first use, whether or not the premises are a registered workplace.
Separately, section 44(1) requires workplace registration with the Director before occupation or use, with a penalty under section 44(5) of up to KES 100,000 or three months.
What does not exist in Kenya
Just as useful as knowing the rules is knowing what is not there, because it stops you looking for it.
There are no lift-specific regulations. Kenya Law lists four instruments under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007: two on first aid in the workplace, one on registration of workplace premises, and one on fees for occupational safety and health services. None is lift-specific.
Older rules made under the repealed Factories and Other Places of Work Act survive through section 129(2)(b), but none of them addresses lifts.
Kenyan lift examination is governed by the Act itself. If someone offers you "the Kenyan Lift Rules," ask for the Legal Notice number.
One further caution. We have seen Form DOSH 1 cited as the lift examination report. DOSH 1 is the accident notification form. The correct form number for the section 63 examination report is something we could not verify, so ask the Directorate rather than assuming.
Frequently asked questions
How often must a lift be examined in Kenya?
At least every six months under section 63(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007, and additionally after any modification or extensive repair. For a hoist or lift not connected with mechanical power, section 63(9)(a) sets twelve months.
Which section of the Kenyan Act governs lifts?
Section 63. Section 65 covers cranes and other lifting machines, and section 67 covers steam boilers.
Who may carry out a lift examination in Kenya?
A person approved for the purposes of section 63 by the Director by certificate in writing. The Directorate refers to these in practice as Approved Persons or Plant Examiners.
Is a competent person allowed to carry out the statutory examination?
No. "Competent person" is defined in section 2 but governs operation and use. Section 63(2) requires a person approved by the Director by certificate in writing.
How quickly must the examination report be recorded?
Within fourteen days of the examination. It must be signed by the person carrying out the examination and entered in or attached to the general register.
What happens if an examination finds a serious defect?
Section 63(3) requires the area occupational safety and health officer to be notified within twenty-four hours of the completion of the examination, with written notice in the prescribed form within seven days.
Do residential buildings have any lift duty in Kenya?
Yes. Section 106(2) requires the occupier to send the Director written notice of the address at which the hoist or lift is used, within one month after it is first used.
Are there lift-specific regulations in Kenya?
No. Kenyan lift examination is governed directly by the Act. The subsidiary legislation under the 2007 Act covers first aid, workplace registration and fees, none of it lift-specific.
Kenya's lift regime is short, and short regimes are easy to comply with and easy to get subtly wrong. Two intervals rather than one. A statutory examiner category with a specific name. A fourteen-day register deadline that lives between two parties. A twenty-four hour defect clock. And a notification duty for buildings that are not workplaces at all.
None of it is difficult. All of it is date-driven, which is why it fails on a spreadsheet the moment a portfolio reaches a few dozen units across more than one town.
What makes it manageable is the same thing that makes it manageable anywhere: the examination date, the examiner, the signed report and the register entry all held against the individual lift, so the fourteen days is visible while there is still time to act on it.
👉 See examination dates and reports held per lift across Kenyan sites. Book a demo →
Related reading
- Elevator management software for Africa
- Elevator Maintenance Software in Africa: 2026 Guide
- Why Most African Elevator Companies Lose Profit
- The Complete Lift Maintenance Checklist for 2026
About the author. Sujit Katariya is part of the ElevatorPlus team, which builds the Elevator Business Operating System used by 200+ elevator companies across 20+ countries. Compliance reviewed by Mr. Sumeet Katariya.
Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007, Kenya Law · Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services, plant inspection
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