Athi River to get 10,500 affordable housing units — Macharia

The National Housing Corporation has begun construction of 10,500 affordable housing units in Stoni Athi Waterfront City in Athi River, Machakos.

Transport CS James Macharia said the mixed-housing development was being constructed on 150 acres for Sh20 billion.

The houses for low, middle and high-income earners will be a multipurpose housing complex including residential, commercial and recreational facilities, schools, hospitals and entertainment venues.

“Today marks a key milestone in the affordable housing programme as we launch the Stoni Athi Waterfront City project," Macharia said on Friday last week.

Macharia said the project will be a milestone in combating the crisis of affordable housing.

It comprises 5,000 affordable housing units costing Sh1 million to Sh3 million; 5,500 units for middle middle and upper-income households for Sh2 million to Sh8 million a unit, Macharia said.

He called the project a game changer, urging more private investors to engage in the housing project.

Macharia said the government had built more than 186,000 housing units over eight years to provide decent housing.

He said the NHC will also be developing 5,000 housing units in the Konza Techno City.

“NHC can enhance the use of innovative structures such as joint ventures and other collaborative enhancements to unlock housing challenges. It can provide vehicles through which county governments can facilitate the development of affordable homes,” Macharia said.

He said NHC has the potential to developing homes for Kenyans since it has appropriate policies and technical expertise in planning, designing and implementing projects.

“NHC has the ability to structure financial solutions through collaborations with financial partners. It has the expertise to develop and vehicles through which the county government can facilitate the development of affordable homes,” he said.

Macharia urged the NHC to rejuvenate itself to accomplish a bigger role in achieving affordable housing, one of the Big Four — housing, manufacturing, food security and affordable healthcare.

He said the government through the Ministry of Housing will continue supporting the NHC to ensure that it achieves its goal.

“The affordable housing programme continues to receive support from strategic partners including the government and other organisations, such as Absa Bank, Mavoko Water Distribution company and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority,among others,”  Macharia said.

Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban development Charles Hinga said NHC had improved housing conditions to meet the high demand  for affordable and better housing in Kenya.

Hinga urged Machakos residents to acquire quality homes for their families.

The PS said Nairobi has at least four affordable housing programmes underway to deliver 21,642 housing units.

In September this year, the PS commissioned the construction of 2,235 units in the Pangani area of Nairobi county.

Other features of the project near the banks of River Athi include malls, hospitals, schools, boat rides, playgrounds and parks.

In December 7, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched Habitat Heights at Lukenya to provide 8,888 housing units.

The housing project is one of the first developed under the MoU between the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and United Nations Office for Project Services in September 2018 to develop 100,000 housing units.

The programme announced in 2017 that private developers would build 500,000 units for low- and middle-income residents.

Among the 2,235 occupied units in the country, 1,370 are at Park Road, Ngara, 250 in the Kisumu civil servants housing project, 152 in Machakos and 463 in Mavoko.

At the beginning of his second term, President Uhuru Kenyatta  announced the Big Four agenda, including 500,000 affordable housing units to be built by 2022. Covid-19 stalled construction.

(Edited by V. Graham)