State starts building 15,000 houses in Mukuru slums

The national government will build up to 15,000 affordable houses on land recovered from grabbers along Enterprise Road in Industrial Area, Nairobi.

The project, which will be known as Mukuru Affordable Housing, is located on a 55-acre land belonging to the Kenya Meteorological Department.

The parcel was o recovered by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) last year.

State Department for Housing and Urban Planning Principal Secretary (PS) Charles Hinga said the government has already moved to the site and construction work commenced.

The land recovery proceedings for the Sh5 billion land commenced in 2009.

Environment and Lands Court Judge Justice Elijah Obaga ordered for the cancellation of title deeds issued to five companies claiming ownership of the public land and the firms be barred from trespassing into the property.

The PS said that they are estimating to set up between 12,000 and 15,000 housing units on that particular site targeting area residents to be new home owners once project is complete.

He said that the first five blocks are currently under construction with the government was working on the internal infrastructure including sewer line, drainage and roads within the site.

The project will also house a fire station, shopping centre, and kindergarten.

“The project will provide direct and indirect employment to more than 100,000 youth as well as support suppliers of numerous locally sourced inputs,” said Mr Hinga.

The project is part of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s affordable housing programme under the Big Four Agenda.

Mukuru slums, which hosts almost half a million people, is divided into five areas including Kwa Njenga, Kwa Reuben, Fuata Nyayo, Pipeline and Viwandani.

The informal settlement was in August 2017 declared as a Special Planning Area (SPA) by the Nairobi City County government with the declaration putting a stop to any further developments in the area for a two-year period.

The declaration was extended for a further two years by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services Director General Lieutenant General Mohammed Badi.

The move was to allow for undertaking of slum-upgrading initiatives in the area which has been grappling with challenges including access to basic needs such as water, electricity, sanitation services, housing and healthcare.