Nairobi to build 30,000 low-cost houses

The Nairobi county government plans to build at least 30,000 low-cost houses in four estates this financial year.

The plan will see the construction of 5,000 houses in Shauri Moyo, 20,000 in Makongeni, 3,000 in Starehe and another 2,000 units in Park Road Estates.

The low-cost housing plan is contained in the county government’s annual development plan (CADP) for the financial year ending June 30, 2021.

The project is part of the county government’s medium-term plan where priority will be given to developing an affordable and a review of county spatial planning framework.

“The low-cost project targets to put up 5,000 houses in Shauri Moyo, 20,000 houses in Makongeni, 3,000 houses in Starehe and 2,000 units in Park Road estates,” read in part the document signed by Nairobi county finance and economic planning executive Allan Igambi.

“Construction of the Shauri Moyo, Makongeni and Starehe houses will kick off in this financial year, and so is the breaking ground for the 2,000 units of affordable housing on Park Road.”

In the financial year ended June 30, 2019, the county government had indicated that more than Sh260 million will be needed for the renewal programme.

The low-cost project will be actualised in partnership between the government and the private sector where the county government will provide land and meet logistical expenditures while the private sector will give capital to construct the houses.

“The government recognises the high cost of rent due to lack of adequate houses. The government has partnered with the private sector to regenerate the City’s Eastland’s Estates in order to create more houses as it seeks to increase access to affordable and decent housing facilities by the poor,” says the document.

According to a 2016 World Bank report, Nairobi county has an annual housing demand of between 150,000 and 200,000 housing units, yet only about 15,000 development applications were submitted in 2013.

In the houses built each year, more than 48 percent is for upper middle income, 35 percent for high income earners and only 2 percent for low income population. This is despite the poor segment of the population having the greatest housing need.

The huge shortfall of housing supply for the low income, said City Hall, is met through the proliferation of slums and informal settlements.

This has made Nairobi to be a host of the largest informal settlements in East and Central Africa. These slums include Kibra, Kawangware, Mathare, Kangemi, Korogocho, Majengo, Kitui Village and Kiambiu.

“The majority of the population lives in informal settlements with limited access to appropriate housing, electricity and sanitation,” the CADP said.

RENEWAL PLAN

However, to bridge the shortage, the county is focusing on providing residential units with the urban renewal initiative boosting the plan.

Already, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has started the revamp of Pangani Estate to provide 1,562 affordable housing units by December next year.

This will then be followed by redevelopment of Jeevanjee Estate as well as five other county estates, including Ngong Road Phases I and II, Uhuru estate, New Ngara, Old Ngara and Suna Road estates with a target of between 10,000 and 12,000 low-cost housing units.