The government plans to knock down more old buildings across the country to make room for building affordable houses. Alice Wahome, the Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary, announced that they’ve identified around 575 plots of land totaling about 12,000 acres for these projects.
Some of these plots currently have old estates, owned by either the national or county governments, which will be demolished. Demolitions are already happening in some areas.
Wahome explained during a Senate session that out of these 575 plots, 62 totaling 780 acres are in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru counties.
These plots were submitted by various ministries, counties, departments, authorities, and MPs to be used for the affordable housing program.
However, not all identified plots will be used because some don’t fit the project’s criteria. Yet, they’ll keep these lands for future projects.
Senator Mohammed Chute asked about the value of each government-owned plot for the project, to which Wahome responded by stressing the government’s aim to build 200,000 housing units yearly to fill the housing gap and provide jobs for young people.
She assured that the procurement process follows the law and is done under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act. Wahome clarified that although the houses will be built on public land, the land won’t be transferred to the developer.
The ministry has already finished two projects in Park Road, Nairobi, and Bondeni, Nakuru, with seven ongoing projects in Nairobi and Nakuru. Projects in Mombasa and Kisumu are still under consideration. For instance, in Kibera Soweto East Zone B, there’s a project with amenities like schools, commercial spaces, and health centers.
In Shauri Moyo-Kamkunji constituency, Nairobi, there’s a project with over 4,500 housing units. Another significant project is the Mukuru Met Site housing project, consisting of over 13,000 units under three lots.
