Nairobi’s Eastlands set for facelift with plan to build 80,000 houses

By NICHOLAS WAITATHU

NAIROBI , KENYA: Nairobi County government will build over 80,000 housing units in the Eastlands for resale.

The Sh42.5 billion ($500 million) project will be handled under Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework.

It will see ageing estates such as Bahati, Mbotela, Ziwani, Makongeni, Kaloleni, Jericho, and Shauri Moyo demolished and redeveloped to accommodate more homebuyers.

Currently, the county government collects rent from 14,000 housing units — some dilapidated.

High-rise buildings

Nairobi County Lands, Housing and Physical Planning Executive Tom Odongo confirmed his government will establish high-rise projects in areas including the Eastlands.

 This will be under the urban renewal programme. “We expect the 80,000 units to be established will accommodate 650,000 people. Further, 20 per cent of the units will be social houses,” said Odongo

Odongo explained that a study being carried by Nairobi County and The University of Nairobi will come up with the actual design of the area including the nature of the housing units to be established.

He said in an interview yesterday after the launch of the a one day conference sponsored by Housing Finance. The meet sought to discuss ways of enhancing capacities of Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

Odongo noted that the Eastland project has attracted local and international investors — who have expressed interest in the project. He nevertheless declined to name them.The entire Eastlands area has over, 2,000 acres of land with the council being the major landowner. 

The last Cabinet under the former President, Mwai Kibaki, in 2010, approved the demolition of the estates and high-rise buildings be set up under a PPP framework.

However, the project’ failed to take off since the State lacked a PPP Act to lay down the project framework. Odongo explained that the county government has more than 7,000 acres of land available for development within its jurisdiction.

The county executive said investors will be offered the land at subsidised rates to construct houses that accommodate the increasing migrants to the city.

“The Council’s business  is to provide land to the investors at subsidised rates to put up affordable houses for rent such as those in Komarock, and Buru Buru areas,” he observed.

Housing shortage

“Homeowners were able to acquire the houses at affordable rates, “he added. Odongo observed that shortage of housing within the county jurisdiction is huge due to high numbers of immigrants coming into the city to seek education, employment and business.  Urban centres require more than 150,000 housing units yearly with Nairobi leading with more than half. The estates to be demolished in Eastland area are part of more than 20 estates that had been earmarked for redevelopment by the former Nairobi City Council.

The development will be a relief to more than half of the Nairobi population estimated to live in slums that cover just five per cent of the city area.  According to the 2009 Population Census, Nairobi has 3.1 million people implying that over 1.5 million of these reside in 66 informal settlements.