Four lenders to build 20,000 housing units for police
Police houses in Ruai, Nairobi, that were completed two years ago. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Shelter Afrique, the African Development Bank (AfDB), KCB Group and HF Group — will provide the construction cash and receive repayment staggered over 15 years.
Shelter Afrique has issued an international tender for the construction of the first phase of the project which comprise 4,000 housing units.
The Africa focused housing lender said phase 1A of the programme includes associated infrastructure and external works to be delivered in four sites in Nairobi.
A consortium of four lenders will construct 20,000 houses for police through an arrangement that will see the government make regular payments to the financiers over a period of up to 15 years.
The houses, which include bed sitters, one bedroom and three bedroom units, will cost between Sh18 and 20 billion in a mega taxpayer funded homes project that will take four years.
Under the annuity financing deal, four financiers — Shelter Afrique, the African Development Bank (AfDB), KCB Group and HF Group — will provide the construction cash and receive repayment staggered over 15 years.
Treasury secretary Henry Rotich said on Monday the new 20,000 units would be set up across the country starting with Nairobi.
“[The plan is to] within 48 months deliver the 20,000 units. The estimated cost is yet to be firmed up but could range between Sh18 billion ($180million) to Sh20 billion,” Mr Rotich told the Business Daily in interview.
This is part of the government’s four-year infrastructure development project aimed at alleviating the acute housing crisis facing the National Police Service (NPS).
The houses represent a third of 60,000 additional units required to shelter police officers who have been forced to either live in shacks or share dwellings meant for single households, according to official studies.
A report by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) released early this year indicated that the NPS has a chronic housing shortage.
According to the report, the NPS has a shortfall of 28,922 housing units against a staff population of 39,238. It also notes that 80 per cent of Administration Police officers are not accommodated in decent houses.
On Monday, Shelter Afrique issued an international tender for the construction of the first phase of the project which comprise 4,000 housing units.
“We invite interested contractors to submit an expression of interest to provide managed construction services for this first phase of the programme,” said Shelter Afrique in a public notice.
The Africa focused housing lender said phase 1A of the programme includes associated infrastructure and external works to be delivered in four sites in Nairobi.
Mr Rotich said the project targets police stations with ample land to provide space for the project.
“There are various police stations with adequate space and land.
“The programme is to deliver 20,000 units with the 48 months, starting with 4,000 units. The housing programme will be delivered in a cost effective manner,” he said.
Activists and security experts have consistently urged the government to fast track housing project to ensure police live and work comfortably so as to execute their sensitive duties effectively.
The police watchdog has, for instance, blamed the inconveniences caused by sharing houses to a rise in feuds, suicides, insecurity and murders in the service.
“IPOA believes that provision of adequate, affordable housing is essential to building healthy, stable police services,” chairman Macharia Njeru said early this year.
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