•In August 2019, the High Court struck out a second petition challenging evictions in Starehe and Shauri Moyo for the Affordable Housing project
• The Park Road project where construction started in April 2019 is the first to be completed under the 500,000-unit AHP.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
The government said legal issues have delayed construction of Phase Two of the Affordable Housing Project but they soon will be sorted.
“We are clearing a few legal hurdles then it will be all systems go," Housing PS Charles Hinga said without elaborating on Wednesday.
Starehe tenants have been in court over relocation since 2014 when they sued to stop their evictions.
Last year December, the PS had announced at least 21,000 acres had been set aside for the Phase Two of the project in Starehe and Shauri Moyo in Nairobi and Athi River.
In Starehe, 359 tenants are supposed to relocate.
Kenya Power disconnected electricity in all the houses, raising fears of forced eviction.
In 2014, the tenants argued the state had issued eviction notices without giving them an alternative place to settle. Justice John Mativo dismissed the case in 2018.
On June 26, 2019, the tenants were again ordered to vacate by July 30. They sued again.
Justice James Makau found the issues raised by the tenants were similar to those raised in their 2014 petition.
He allowed preliminary objections by the Attorney General and the City Hall against the petition.
In August last year, the High Court struck out a second petition challenging evictions in Starehe and Shauri Moyo.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
At the same time, owners of the 1,730 units at Park Road, Ngara, are currently moving into the new homes.
The Park Road project whose construction started in April 2019 is the first to be completed under the 500,000-unit AHP.
PS Hinga explained the owners are moving in as they finalise their finances as most had already paid the required deposits.
The completed units were officially handed over to those who qualified through the Boma early this year.
The Park Road project is a mixed settlement of civil servants and non-civil servants in a 60-40 split, respectively.
Hinga said the 60 per cent (822 units) have been occupied by the members of the National Police Service and Kenya Defence Forces.
The lowest price for the one-bedroom unit of 30 squares metres is Sh1.5 million. However, there might be slight variations for projects not on government land but registered under the AHP programme through the Bomayangu portal.
A two-bedroom unit of 60 square metres sells for Sh3 million and a three-bedroom unit of 60 square metres goes for Sh3,550,000.
A four-bedroom unit of 80 square metres sells for Sh4 million.
The completion and sale of the Park Road housing units paved the way for the groundbreaking and the launch of several other AHP projects in Nairobi and across the country.
PS Hinga said the project was progressing well as the government continues to support investors in rolling out their projects countrywide.
"The most important thing after the failure of the housing fund is that we now have a product that has been embraced by most developers. If you check the property section in the local dailies, you’ll see the house prices are within the AHP range,” Hinga said.
The PS noted the AHP has set a precedent. Three years ago, the average cost of a house was Sh11 million, now it’s around Sh3 million.
“This is a clear indication the policies are working and it means we have a market-based product that addresses the housing needs of the majority of our people,” Hinga added.
The Ps said the market-based product (AHP) will close the housing gap over time as government doubles down on investing in horizontal bulk infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity and as land policies take effect.
“It means new areas will open up for investment in human settlement, which is not just about four walls and a roof, but also creates employment opportunities, Hinga said.
(Edited by V. Graham)