Why Makongeni residents won't be accommodated in finished affordable housing units — PS Hinga

"The finished units are for sale, so we will not be able to accommodate them in a unit then sell to somebody else."

by STAR REPORTER

News26 November 2025 - 10:45

In Summary

The residents had been given notice by the government to vacate the houses to pave the way for the affordable housing project.
The Environment and Land Court on Tuesday halted the ongoing evictions and demolitions, offering temporary relief to hundreds of residents who are facing evictions.

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*Residents salvage their belongings following the demolitions at Makongeni estate, Nairobi on November 24, 2025/LEAH MUKANGAI*

Housing PS Charles Hinga has explained why the government will not be able to move Nairobi's Makongeni residents to finished units under the Affordable Housing Programme.

Speaking on Citizen TV on Tuesday, Hinga said the units are for sale, and hence it won't be possible to house Makongeni residents in the houses and then sell them to someone else.

"The finished units are for sale, so we will not be able to accommodate them in another unit, which then you have to go sell to somebody else," Hinga explained.

He further noted that the government is equally trying to eradicate Mukuru slums; therefore, it will not be possible to resettle residents from another area into the already finished housing units in Mukuru.

"The finished units that we have at the moment are in Mukuru, and we already have a programme because we are also eradicating Mukuru slum, and we are doing it systematically, so you can't go far away into Makongeni and take the people from Makongeni and settle them in Mukuru and at the same time, you are trying to sort out Mukuru."

The residents had been given notice by the government to vacate the houses to pave the way for the affordable housing project. They had been given until December 2 to vacate the houses.

The government said most of the residents have since been given their compensation of Sh150,000 to move and seek alternative accommodation.

The residents have, however, been assured by the government that they will be given priority during allocation once the project is complete.

Some of the residents have lived in the area for more than six decades.

The Environment and Land Court on Tuesday halted the ongoing evictions and demolitions, offering temporary relief to hundreds of residents who are facing evictions.

The decision followed an urgent application filed by the Makongeni Residents Association alongside five other petitioners who argued that the demolitions were being carried out unlawfully.

The conservatory orders bar the respondents—Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme, the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, and the Affordable Housing Board—from initiating or continuing any form of displacement, demolition, or removal of property within Makongeni.