President Uhuru Kenyatta is all set to launch flagship projects across the country aimed at achieving his Big Four development agenda from next month. Affordable housing is one item on the agenda that Uhuru has focused on in his second and final term in office while the other three are manufacturing, universal health coverage, and food security and nutrition.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia yesterday said the President would launch various housing projects in a month’s time. “The Government has given more emphasis to housing and all the planning is already done. It is now action time and in four weeks, the President will launch seven key housing projects in Nairobi.”
Speaking at the official launch of the Habitat Country Programme Document, the CS said the projects would then be rolled out in other counties. “We are beginning with Park Road, Kiambiu and Starehe in Nairobi, and Mavoko in Machakos. This is part of the 500,000 housing units the President has promised to build in his final term,” Macharia said, adding that the Government, in collaboration with county governments, would build 2,000 housing units in each county.
“We have engaged the governors and signed a memorandum of understanding with them. We have also engaged Parliament’s committees on Housing and the Central Organisation of Trade Unions. We want all stakeholders to participate in this process.” Under the MoU, county governments will give land while the national government will provide finances and capacity building. “We have already secured 7,000 acres of land for this initial phase.
We are also working with the National Treasury, the World Bank and other stakeholders to operationalise the Kenya Mortgage Refinancing Company to provide medium and long-term liquidity to mortgage lenders,” Macharia said. The Government also intends to eradicate slums in Nairobi and other major towns in the next five years, the CS said, adding that every housing project will include 200,000 social houses in slum areas.
The government has allocated Sh400 billion to Jubilee’s Big Four agenda, which is the main focus of President Uhuru Kenyatta in his second and final term in office.
The four pillars are manufacturing, universal healthcare, affordable housing, and food security.
The government has allocated Sh44.6 billion for universal health coverage while Sh6.5 billion will go towards the provision of affordable and decent housing for all Kenyans.
The Treasury has allocated Sh20.25 billion to enhance food and nutrition security to all Kenyans by 2022, and Sh2.4 billion to support value addition and raise the manufacturing sector’s share to gross domestic product to 15 per cent by 2022.