Large, opulent homes across villages are being built as Kenyans plan for retirement.
That is a far different picture when such homes were only found in urban areas.
Nowadays, as roads meander into villages, among the heartwarming scenes is masterpiece retirement homes.
In Western, Narok, Laikipia, Nyanza, and other areas with huge chunks of land that are affordable, many residents are returning to villages to build their four or five-bedroom houses.
Large, opulent homes across villages are being built as Kenyans plan for retirement. That is a far different picture when such homes were only found in urban areas. Nowadays, as roads meander into villages, among the heartwarming scenes is masterpiece retirement homes.
In Western, Narok, Laikipia, Nyanza, and other areas with huge chunks of land that are affordable, many residents are returning to villages to build their four or five-bedroom houses.
Along Luanda Kotieno to Ndori Road in Siaya, for instance, there are many beautiful homes coming up. The trend has stretched to Owimbi-Bondo road where big homes blend beautifully with the greenery. Some of the homes are owned by Rarieda MP Otiende Amolo, former US ambassador Rateng’ Oginga Ogego, former legislator Nicholas Gumbo among other business people and scholars.
Oyieng’ Odola, a retired banker is one of the people who opted to build in the village decades ago.
His is a five-bedroom home that he constructed in 1990.
“Many people used to marvel at my home as there were a few like this back then. But this has changed over the last 10 years as more people build very well-designed houses, complete with eye-catching landscapes,” he told BDLife.
When he was constructing his house, the retired East African Development Bank manager was looking to accommodate his visiting grandchildren and extended family members in his sunset years.
Now 83, Mr Odola says the close to Sh1million-investment he made in his heydays gives him peace of mind and comfort.
“I have enough space to move around the house which is the greatest feeling, especially at my age,” he says.
Besides that, he says the retirement home is a worthy investment because the value has risen to Sh5 million.
The house is located at the serene Lusi Village in Rarieda near Lake Victoria shores.
Joram Okumu is another person who bought one-acre piece of land next to Aram market in Asembo at Sh120,000. He says he hopes to build his dream home in the area that he describes as “secure, strategic and very accessible to basic infrastructure.”
“I have started doing the landscaping of the compound and planting trees as I look forward to start the construction in the next three months’ time,” he says.
Mr Okumu plans to spend Sh10 million building the house that will have a swimming pool and a gym area.
High demand
Demand for lavish retirement homes is on the rise, especially from Kenyans working in Nairobi, Mombasa and in the diaspora.
The high cost and scarcity of good land, overcrowding, lack of water and proper public transport in cities has forced residents to look outside.
Most people are buying three or four-bedroom apartments in the city and building their dream homes in villages where the air is still fresh and land is not overpriced.
Although, there has been a debate that construction of village homes makes no economic sense, the trend shows contrary.
Eric Ounga, the director of Ounga Commercial Agencies, a real estate company based in Kisumu says most people are trying to match the lifestyles they lived in urban set-ups with the ones they want to have in retirement.
This can only be realised in areas where cost of land is cheaper, affording someone the luxury of splurging millions of shillings on a huge bungalow with fine interior décor. Mr Ounga says that for some retirees, an abrupt lowering of standards of living triggers stress and this is why they are investing in good homes.
“Things are changing from when people preferred small traditional huts in rural areas while living large in urban centres,” he says.
The countryside also provides an ideal opportunity for developers to have beautiful landscapes.
Regrets
Mr Ounga however cautions against building large, elaborate homes — only to find that they are not conducive in old age.
“Consider the materials. For example, don’t put fancy tiles in bathrooms which are slippery because these may lead to accidents,” he says.
Most retirees go for long vacations or visit families in other cities or countries so they must invest in good security.
““Fix sturdy windows, doors and gates to ensure the property is as secure. Retirement homes are built with lifetime savings and no one would want to have regrets,” Mr Ounga says.
