Kenya: one million low cost houses to be constructed over the next five years

One million low cost houses are set to be constructed in Kenya by the government, in the next five years. This is in a move to make housing affordable to the citizens and ease the current housing deficit.

800,000 affordable housing units of the planned one million will be delivered under public private partnerships (PPPS) while the remaining 200,000 will be social housing.

Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Arch. Aidah Munano confirmed the reports during the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) Awards of Excellence in Architecture 2017 at Villa Rosa Kempinski, Nairobi and said that the initiative is worthy and calls for involvement of all stakeholders.

She further said that housing is one of four sectors of focus in the country’s transformational journey and the project will eventually include coming up with innovative delivery models. “The implementation of the programme calls for involvement of all stakeholders and will encompass coming up with innovative delivery models,” said Arch. Aidah.

The event brought together members of the construction industry fraternity in Kenya including architects, quantity surveyors, engineers, construction project managers, landscape architects, environmental design consultants and town planners.

Kenya currently has a housing deficit of 1.85 million houses due to rapid urbanisation. The ministry of infrastructure, housing and urban development is however fast tracking the enactment of the Kenya Building Research Institute bill that will create a research organisation to spearhead innovation of the latest technology to lower the cost of construction in the country.