Kisumu welcomes Sh700m apartments for civil servants

Hosea Omole Acting Housing Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i officially launches the Kisumu Civil Servants Housing Project in Shauri Moyo. About 250 apartment units will be put up. [PHOTOS: TITUS MUNALA/STANDARD]

KISUMU: The Government has launched a Sh700 million housing project aimed at accommodating civil servants and bridging the housing deficit in the lakeside city of Kisumu.

The project, spearheaded by the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development, involves the demolition of 48 dilapidated bungalows to create room for the construction of 250 units.

The venture will feature ample parking spaces, green areas, underground and roof level water tanks, a perimetre fence and a gatehouse.

Due to the rising cost and scarcity of land, some observers say construction of affordable multi-level housing could be the solution to the demand occasioned by rapid urbanisation.

Speaking while launching the project last week, Acting Housing Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the second phase of the project would see an additional 150 units constructed.

“The move is part of plans by the national government to improve housing for civil servants outside Nairobi, as well as improving standards of living across the country,” he said.

He added: “We want to ensure that we bring the same development witnessed in Kilimani, Ngara, Kibra, among other areas in Nairobi to other regions like Kisumu which has a great potential for growth.”

APPLY FOR LOANS

The government will give priority to civil servants. They will be two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments.

To own the apartments, civil servants will have to apply for loans through the Civil Servants Housing Scheme Fund (CSHSF) and repay within 25 years, at an interest rate of five per cent.

The CSHSF was initiated by the government to facilitate access to housing by civil servants and has enabled them to purchase or develop by acquisition of affordable loans for home ownership.

Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma said the venture will aid the growth of the lakeside town whose expansion has been hindered by proximity of slums to the Central Business District (CBD).

“The location of these slums near the city centre is one of the challenges we are grappling with as an emerging city. As a county, we are very happy to be the first beneficiary of this project,” he said.

He noted that the county will also contribute funds to subsidise the project through Kisumu Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan.

In recent years, Kisumu housing industry has been witnessing massive growth with big players like Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) setting up Sh2.5 billion modern shopping mall in Mamboleo area.

MASSIVE

The National Housing Corporation (NHC) is also constructing 700 units in Kanyakwar area, off Kisumu-Kakamega Road.

The peri-urban parts of Manyatta, Nyalenda and Nyawita have also witnessed massive expansion as temporary structures are being demolished to pave way for permanent houses and commercial units.

Other big guns who are putting up multimillion apartments include Ounga Commercial Agencies, which is constructing Sh1.1 billion high-end Victoria Gardens.

Marketing manager of Ounga Commercial Agencies Eric Ounga says Kisumu has had haphazard estate development and without proper structures, thus creating slums in areas that have great potential.

“The units will improve the living standards of the residents. We are simply setting standards in estate development so that the entire city can follow that trend,” he says Ounga.