Nairobi Governor
Sakaja Johnson accompanied by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, on Friday toured the
Jeevanjee Bachelor Housing Project in Ngara, a flagship development under Nairobi’s urban
renewal programme aimed at providing modern and affordable housing for city
residents.
During the visit, Governor Sakaja expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress, stating that the first phase is expected to be completed by August of this year.
“I am pleased with
this project, which aims to provide modern housing for many. We will continue
with this and other similar initiatives to ensure we are ready to accommodate
more people as the city’s population approaches 7 million,” he said.
Mayor Hidalgo
commended the Governor’s efforts, describing the housing initiative as a
crucial step toward improving the quality of life in Nairobi.
“For a city to grow
sustainably, such initiatives are essential. We support your vision to make
Nairobi a better place for all,” said Mayor Hidalgo. “Governor, you are doing a
commendable job with this urban renewal project.”
From an initial 80
units, the county has now developed 1,800, according to Housing Chief Officer
Lydia Mathia, who added that the entire project is expected to be completed by
2026.
“384 units will be
ready this August, followed by another 800 by the end of the year. The
remaining units will be completed by September 2026. This is exactly what we
mean when we talk about efficient land use — a single piece of land can give us
this many houses. We will continue with similar projects in other areas,” she
said.
Governor Sakaja also
urged residents to pay what is owed to the county, noting that the push for
land rates and the Unified Business Permit (UBP) is driven by the need to
deliver better services and meet the demands of Nairobi’s rapidly growing
population, now estimated at 7 million.
“I was having a
conversation with the Mayor of Paris, and she confirmed that Paris, with a
population of 2 million, operates on a budget of €9 billion,” Sakaja said.
“In contrast,
Nairobi, with over 7 million people, has a budget of just €230 million. This
clearly shows the gap and why we continue to push for enhanced revenue through
land rates, the Unified Business Permit, and other initiatives. More revenue
means better services.”
He noted that
despite surpassing last year’s revenue collection of Sh 12.8 billion, the
city’s growth trajectory demands significantly higher investment.
“We are working to
improve services for everyone, but to do so effectively, we must boost revenue.
The more funds we raise, the more services we can provide to our residents,” he
added.
The Governor also
highlighted challenges, including cases where some tenants have refused to pay
rent for years, saying such situations hinder the county’s ability to meet its
revenue targets and deliver services.
“It is very unfair
that some people can go for years without paying rent for county houses, yet we
offer subsidized rates — far below what others pay for similar housing. We cannot
allow this to continue. Let everyone pay their share so we can all help make
Nairobi work,” he said.
The visit follows
the recent signing of a Letter of Intent on Social Housing and the School
Feeding Programme.
