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How we can attain the noble dream of affordable housing

Sunday, February 25, 2018 — updated on January 01, 2021 - 3 min read

Building a house in Kenya is very expensive. file PHOTO | NMG

As part of the Big Four agenda, the goal of providing affordable housing is noble and couldn’t have come at a better time.

Shelter, like food and clothing is one of man’s basic rights and making sure that all citizens are decently housed is a commendable goal.

Having guidelines that will promote water conservation will reduce the disputes. For every tree felled, efforts should be made to empower communities to plant two more for future posterity. The government and stakeholders should encourage safe alternative building materials and technologies for affordability and quick projects completion. These will help conserve the environment and also provide avenues for community participation. For instance bamboos and interlocking bricks can be provided by Saccos in rural areas.
Cement production in Kenya is pretty organised. The government should engage the producers to provide cement at an affordable cost in exchange for the huge market to be created. Building plans approval and permit expenses also contribute to the high cost of building. Where possible, the costs should be waived.
These and other factors should be considered. It should be noted that majority of people are in the informal sector and pay rent of between Sh3,000 and Sh10,000. Fine-tuning the mortgage payments to around that figure will go a long way to affordable housing. Also, as much as possible involve the people and community in the building. This will create employment and spread the economic growth.