• Tenants will be given a 30-day vacate notice upon receiving Sh600,000 each as facilitation fee as they await completion of the houses.
• Project to contain more than 1,000 units, tenants will be given priority for the Sh3 million units. Will pay Sh8,000 per month for 30 years.
At least 80 tenants at Jevanjee will be relocated as the county government begins its Urban Renewal Affordable Housing project.
The tenants will be issued a 30-day vacate notice upon receiving Sh600,000 each as facilitation fees while they await completion of the houses.
Construction is expected to take a maximum of four months.
Newly appointed Lands, Housing and Urban Planning executive Pauline Kahiga on Thursday said the cheques were ready for disbursement.
"Tenants willing to pick them can do so at the county Finance offices. We are also finalising the paperwork that will guarantee the tenants priority to ownership of the new houses" she said.
As soon as the tenants relocate, the engineers will start the works.
Tenants to get lease agreement or tenant purchase agreement to be issued with the notice to vacate. Once houses are complete, the current tenants will be given first priority to occupy the houses as owners.Stephen Mwangi, Urban Planning chief
However, Kahiga made it clear that the county was not compensating but facilitating the tenants to get alternative housing while they wait.
The two estates will have more than 1,000 housing units and just like Pangani Estate, each tenant will be given a new house worth Sh3 million. Negotiated monthly rent will be Sh8,000 for 30 years.
Urban Planning Chief Officer Stephen Mwangi said the tenants agreed to the facilitation fee.
"The tenants will be provided with a lease agreement or tenant purchase agreement which will be issued together with the notice to vacate. Once the houses are complete, the current tenants will be given first priority to occupy the houses as owners," he said.
On November 26, the county and tenants will meet and all required documents will be issued to the tenants.
County Attorney Lydia Kwamboka assured the residents that all their grievances have been properly handled.
She said some tenants have told the county they are ready to relocate upon receiving the facilitation fee.
The tenants' lawyer had raised issues on an undertaking by the previous administration on terms of compensation. But county officials said that the county will only commit itself to the renegotiated agreement by the current administration.
Negotiations had started in 2016 but the officials said that in the negotiated agreement, the whole process is not a continuation of what was agreed on in 2016.
Construction has started at Pangani Estate.
In August, some of the 48 tenants were forcefully evicted at night by the county to pave way for the housing project.
Pangani redevelopment, which is meant to be the pilot, has been delayed several times by controversy and disputes between the county and tenants.
The groundbreaking was meant to take place in August last year. It was postponed to December when it was announced that President Uhuru Kenyatta would launch the project.
Earthmovers already are at work.
Edited by R.Wamochie