Cases of people living abroad channelling their development funds through relatives only to come home to be astounded are abound. But as Geoffrey Korio found out there are alternatives
When the Mi Casa (Kenya) Limited project; an initiative under Manyatta Real Estate, was established last year, its mission was quite different from those of other real estate players.
Its main objective was to meet the property needs of Kenyans living in the Diaspora. This market niche, as Francis Kihanya, the Mi Casa Project Director, explains, have encountered problems when purchasing land in Kenya and fulfilling the land transaction processes.
In addition to these problems, the busy nature of people and uncertainty of dealing with close relatives has also been the driving force towards the formation of this project. These, among others are the litany of problems that Caesar Mwangi, a director at Mi Casa Kenya Limited, highlights.
“The reception from Kenyans in the Diaspora has been encouraging,” states Kihanya. But he still maintains that a lot needs to be done.
Through his professional team, the project uses various marketing and advertising techniques to reach out to the foreign-based Kenyans. Through road shows in major cities including Boston, Washington, California, Minnesota and Chicago, people have been informed and educated about the services of the organisation.
The use of Google Ads, referrals (word of mouth), through their website and credible media channels have also been utilized to reach out to the target market.
“We don’t look at the diaspora like most big companies do, we view those abroad in 3D — Diaspora, Dollars and Development” states Kihanya.
This approach, Kihanya continues, has the ability to transform the Kenyan as well as African real estate market.
Simplified Procedure
Kihanya, who has lived in the US for years, understands the issues of those in diaspora and was a licensed realtor in California so he believes he understands the Diaspora needs well.
The procedure, thanks to the courier services, has been easy and flexible. For starters, the investors and potential land buyers are informed about the overall land transaction processes and documentation requirements such as providing Identification Cards and various documents that need to be signed.
