By Agnetta Okwemba
Home owners in the coast region who have registered for the affordable housing program through Boma Yangu will start receiving keys to their housing units on 10th December 2024.
The project that is being undertaken across the country was initiated to provide affordable houses to Kenyans of low income.
Speaking to journalists in Kwale County, Coast and Northern Eastern director of the State Department of Housing and urban development John Karanja announced the completion of phase one by end of the year with Kwale County expected to have about 10,000 units upon full completion.
“These projects are done in phases whose contracts are overlapping with a period of 18months to maturity and after December, the second phase will be ready for issuance,” he said.
In Kwale County that boasts of the Matuga affordable housing project, Mabokoni Mini city, Diani White house and two modern markets, about 30,000 people are expected to directly and indirectly benefit from the jobs in these sites.
The Diani White House project is facing a myriad of challenges which Karanja said are as result of natural caves on the initially allocated land.
He said the caves are beneficial to the community around the place since they are tourists’ attractions which offer a substantial income.
He said they don’t want to destroy the caves and are in talks with the National Museum of Kenya to preserve them and be assimilated in the Affordable Housing programme.
According to Karanja, they intended to have 152 units at Diani Whitehouse but because of land space, only two blocks of the houses together with other associated infrastructures which includes a kindergarten will be built on that area.
“In collaboration with the county government we are looking for an alternative location at Mvindeni, where we will have about 1,000 units that will be done in 3 phases” he added.
Karanja noted that there also could be heavy excavation to enable the contractor to erect blocks of required heights since the area is on the flight path of Diani Airport.
“The heavy excavation was also an issue to the community. They complained about it and we listened to them to avoid weakening their houses,” he said.
The Kenya Kwanza’s government agenda is to not only have affordable houses but also create direct and indirect jobs in those construction sites.
Direct jobs being the construction laborers while indirect include suppliers and jua kali artisans.
“Each unit is supposed to have one corresponding worker. Using the example of the Matuga Affordable Housing project that has 200 units, 200 laborers are employed but this number varies during the different stages of construction,” he explained.
He urged people to take advantage of the affordable housing units noting that the government reaches all areas nationwide including those seen as “remote areas”.
Karanja said all the projects in the Coast region will be completed in the next four years.
