Architectural students partner under Pamoja Trust to design houses that will see residents of Kawangware have modern housing

The project will benefit 1102 households and 3300 people on completion (Photo: Courtesy)

Kenya is famous for many enviable feats including world class athletes, unparalleled wildlife, and striking scenery. It is, however, infamous for a few oddities, one being massive slums.

Something students from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, University of Eldoret and The University of Nairobi want to address.

Their project, named Change by Design Planning Studio, is aimed at allowing villagers to own modern houses in flats and bungalows through a cooperative drive.

“I am in this project because it has given me a chance to use my skills and knowledge to make a difference among the community here,” James Kennedy Gitau, a student of the University of Nairobi says.

He explainsthat the process has been exciting, allowing community members to suggest how the designs could better impact their lives.

“The planning studio in Muslim Village Kawangware involved a two-week-long interactive community dialogue session aimed at finding solutions to the challenges that residents deal with and visualise a settlement that would best serve their interests,” explained the Executive Director of Pamoja Trust Dr Steve Ouma at a consultative meeting held at Muslim School located in the village last Monday.

According to one of the student architects, Teresia Wanjiru Nduta of the University of Nairobi, the housing project includes two-bedroom, three-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom bungalows.

“When we talked to the community members we learnt that some have three or four generations living together, that’s why three bedroom houses are ideal,” reveals Mercy Mukeni, the Programme Manager at Pamoja Trust.

She revealed that some other community members interviewed preferred a more private setting prompting the design of the bungalows.

“We believe that for the urban poor to claim their space and place in urban areas like Nairobi, they need to take up leadership in planning their settlement and claiming their dignity,” says Dr Ouma.

The country is currently experiencing a housing deficit of over two million units. So far, the annual housing stock for the middle income category is a mere 50,000 per year. This falls short of the government promise of delivering up to 200,000 houses per year through the Vision 2030 programme. The impact is that up to 61 per cent of urban households live in slums.

According to Mukeni, the involvement of the students in this project is to empower youth to hone their skills early enough so that by the time they graduate, they have both the confidence and the experience to thrive in the competitive professional market.

“We have had many graduates having to wait long before the market accepts them as truly qualified to the task. That’s why giving talented students to work with some of the best in the industry as a good thing for them,” she explains, adding that job creation as part of poverty reduction approaches in the informal settlements.

The students are working under the watchful eyes of seniors, including Prof Alfred Omenya of Technical university of Kenya who is leading the technical aspects of the project that will benefit 1,102 households and 3, 300 people on completion.

“This approach is that the students are still learning and by engaging with the community they are having practical experience of real challenges of development planning,” says Prof Omenya.

He says that the involvement of professional architects is to make sure that the standards are met. Prof Omenya encourages this kind of approach because it also brings in more creativity and experimenting that many professionals have no time to be involved.

Other students involved include University of Nairobi’s  Lucy Mesah, Jackline Konchella, Aganyo Joyce Achieng’, Wambui Kinyanjui, Maureen Ooko, Gillian Odipo, Sam Ngari and Rose Kimondo.

Others are University of Eldoret’s Jackline Moraa and Kenya Ruth Khatali, as well as JKuat’s Omari Edwin Bikundo.