The Mountain Journal
Kirinyaga is set to become the second rural county to launch the affordable
housing project for low and middle income earners.
With preparations for commissioning of construction of the houses in high
gear, the county government has demolished old buildings belonging to the
defunct County Council of Kirinyaga to pave way for the project at
Kerugoya town.
The project under the Kenya Kwanza affordable housing program will be a
joint venture between the county and the National Government through the
National Housing Corporation.
The county government will provide land for the project, offer joint technical
advisory to meet the construction standards especially in the context of
climate change and urban resilience; and improving design and community
participation.
Machakos was the first rural county to commission the housing project.
Governor Anne Waiguru said that the county will be putting up between
500 and 1000 units at Kerugoya, Sagana and Wanguru towns where
demand for houses is very high.
Waiguru said the affordable housing project will reduce pressure on
farming land that saw more families divide their land into plots to sell to
people who want spaces to build homes.
The Council of Governors (CoG) Chair said the project will encourage more
young people to move away from the farms to urban areas.
“We want to encourage our young people to move away from the farms so
that we can leave larger chunks of the land for agricultural production and
they can move to the urban areas where the housing is affordable and we
will then stop over subdividing our land so that we are able to produce for
the industries that we envision to set up in Kirinyaga,” said Waiguru.
With the Kerugoya Medical Complex set for operationalization in few weeks
to come, Governor Waiguru anticipates there will be increased demand for
affordable houses for medics, civil servants and other middle level income
earners.
Speaking during the demolition of the old houses, County Executive
Committee Member for Transport, Public Works and Housing Jared Migwi
said the Kerugoya project will be put up on 6 acres of land and is expected
to hold about 200 units.
He said the demand for residential houses in Kirinyaga is high especially in
major towns where there has been unprecedented increase in people
migrating from neighbouring counties to settle in Kirinyaga.
“We are pulling down these dilapidated houses to pave way for new
modern and decent houses that will change the face of Kerugoya,” he said.
Migwi said apart from bridging the demand and supply gap, the affordable
houses with help mitigate against the high cost of living and improve the
people’s standards of living.
“The affordable housing project is one of the key pillars of the National
Government. We will mainly be targeting the young professionals working
within our urban areas because they need to have affordable and decent
housing,” said Migwi.
He also called on more investors and well-wishers to join hands with the
county and national government in funding the project, so as to hasten the
process.
At Sagana, the affordable housing project will target workers at the
upcoming Industrial Park.
