Homa Bay recognized for environment friendly affordable houses

An International Green Building Certification known as EDGE has recognized Homa Bay among the county governments that build houses that are environmentally friendly.

The EDGE recognized Homa Bay and issued Governor Gladys Wanga with a certificate for collaborating with the State to undertake the ongoing affordable housing project.

The certification was handed over to Wanga by the National Housing Corporation Managing Director David Mathu in Homa Bay town.

NHC general manager, estates division Agutu Jakorayo was also present. 

Mathu said the certification signifies an exceptional level of environment that will make a lasting impact on the community.

“Homa Bay Affordable Housing Project is setting a new standard for sustainable urban development in Kenya,” Mathu said.

He said the National Housing Corporation is ready to construct an additional 1900 houses in Homa Bay.

“The additional houses will be constructed as soon as we get land. We appeal to the county government to look for the land so that we can start,” Mathu said.

Speaking during the handing over of the certificate in Homa Bay town on Wednesday, Mathu said that EDGE is focusing on making buildings more resource-efficient.

A green building certification system is a set of rating systems and tools that are used to assess a building or a construction project's performance from a sustainability and environmental perspective.

It helps property developers to brand and green in a fast, easy and affordable way.

The contractor of the affordable housing project will build a show house that will display the environmentally friendly houses will look like.

EDGE certification was developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which is a private sector of the World Bank.

In Homa Bay, the state is constructing 400 units of houses in Homa Bay town.

Through the certification, solar power will be used as a source of energy in the houses. This is expected to save compared to conventional building practices.

Wanga said they are committed to building resource-efficient homes as part of low-affordable housing.

 The initiative is expected to enable low and middle-income households to own decent houses in an affordable way.

“The county government of Homa Bay is ready to work with more partners to improve the residents’ wellbeing,” Wanga said.

According to Wanga, the Homa Bay Affordable Housing Project is the first of its kind to attain the EDGE certification in Kenya.

She said they are optimistic that they will continue to attract more partners and investors to meet the development needs of the people.

Homa Bay already has a Climate Change Policy framework that will enhance climate resilience in the implementation of the project.

Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga urged residents to come out in large numbers to acquire the houses whose construction is already going on.

“Let’s take advantage of the low cost and purchase the houses,” Magwanga said.