President William Ruto plans to deliver 200,000 affordable housing units annually to Kenyans.
On Wednesday, he presided over the groundbreaking of the Mavoko Affordable Housing in Machakos county.
The Sh20.1 billion project sits on about 22.2 hectares on Land Reference Number (“L.R. No.”) 27664 at Katani Road, Mavoko Sub County.
Principal Secretary, State Dept for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga revealed that the state and UN-Habitat are parties to a Memorandum of Understanding dated January 15, 2003.
However, the MoU was amended and restated on June 17, 2013, to provide a framework of cooperation with respect to the development of a low- and medium-cost housing scheme on the Property.
M/s EPCO Builders Limited (the Developer) are expected to set up 5,360 housing units for the project.
The units will include 560 Studio units, 960 one-bedroom units, 2,400 two-bedroom units and 1,440 three-bedroom units.
The project will be undertaken in four phases over the next four years whereby 1,340 units will be completed in each phase.
Despite the housing units, the project will also feature social amenities inclusive of a Community Centre, Primary School, Kindergarten, Commercial Centre, Modern Market and a fire Station.
“The project will also include the external civil works and services installations for the residential houses and the social amenities," Hinga noted.
To promote local industry, the PS revealed that the developer in collaboration with TVET colleges, National Construction Authority (NCA) and National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) will engage Jua Kali artisans in the fabrication of steel casement doors and windows to be used in the project.
“This will ensure skills transfer through the use of local labour employed on both permanent and contract basis,” Hinga said.
Additionally, the developer will be expected to mainly make use of raw materials sourced in Kenya in its construction works and envisages that the materials for the Project shall be procured on a similar basis.
In order to benefit the County, Hinga stated that the developer will transfer the fire station to the County and make design revisions for market sheds which shall be handed over to the County.
