Lee urges counties to support affordable housing agenda

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui who has challenged counties to set aside money in their budgets to support the national government’s affordable housing project. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The four pillars of the Big Four Agenda are manufacturing, universal healthcare, affordable housing and food security.
  • The World Bank last year selected Nakuru County as the pioneer in the housing project.
  • Governor Kinyanjui challenged other counties to provide other support services including sewerage systems.

County governments have been challenged to set aside money in their budgets to support the national government’s affordable housing project.

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui, who is also the Council of Governors Urban Planning, Housing, Development, Lands, Infrastructure and Energy committee chairman, says the move will be crucial in the achievement of cheap housing, which is part of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four agenda.

The four pillars of the Big Four Agenda are manufacturing, universal healthcare, affordable housing and food security.

FUNDS

"For this ambitious project to be successful, the county governments must closely work with the national government and support the bid. I urge my colleagues from other counties to set aside funds in their budgets to support the project," Mr Kinyanjui told the Nation.

He revealed that the Nakuru County government has already set aside Sh200 million to support the project.

The World Bank last year selected Nakuru County as the pioneer in the realisation of President Kenyatta’s ambition to build 500,000 houses by 2022.

The global lender said Nakuru has most of the critical infrastructure needed for the building of affordable housing units.

The houses in Nakuru will be built on a 50 piece of acre-land in Naivasha, along the busy Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Governor Kinyanjui challenged other counties to provide other support services including sewerage systems, energy, roads, water, schools and health centres to attract investors to support the project.

Already, Nakuru is a beneficiary of key projects by the Jubilee administration including the standard gauge railway, the mega industrial park being developed by the Ministry of Industrialisation in Naivasha as well as a business park being established by KenGen.

23 COUNTIES

Over 23 counties have already been earmarked for the affordable housing project with each expected to build at least 2,000 housing units.

Nakuru County has been grappling with housing shortages for years.

There is a shortfall of both residential and business housing within the town and in the surrounding areas.

According to a 2016 report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Nakuru requires 10,000 housing units in order to meet the current demand.

However, only 2,000 units are available, creating a shortfall of 8,000 units.