By MWIKALI LATI, mwikalilati@gmail.com
Posted Monday, May 4 2015 at 19:03
Posted Monday, May 4 2015 at 19:03
In Summary
- Athi-type one-bedroom unit, he says, goes for Sh1.6 million while the two-bedroom one costs Sh2.57 million and three-bedroom house goes for Sh3.48 million.
- Tana-type homes are priced higher than the Athi-type with two-bedroom houses costing Sh3.23 million and three-bedroom units Sh5.02 million.
- Shelter Afrique has provided long-term funding for Karibu Homes to build 1,000 units on the 20-acre piece of land in the next four years.
Irfan Keshavjee grew up watching his parents balance between running their family business and doing community work.
During school holidays, he kept himself busy making hangers
at the back of the dry cleaning shop, operating laundry machines and
serving customers.
“I grew up watching my parents gain a lot of joy
from engaging their know-how for a common cause,” says Mr Keshavjee,
whose family operates White Rose Drycleaners.
“They rarely complain. If they don’t like
something, they go out and do something about it. From small stuff like
trimming the grass outside other houses on our road, to setting up a
project to provide vocational skills to abused girls or helping local
health and education initiatives.”
The 60-year-old laundry firm shares its income with all staff through a profit sharing or bonus plan.
So, for Mr Keshavjee social enterprise comes naturally.
He co-founded Honey Care Africa, creating a value
chain in bee-keeping business for tens of thousands of smallholder
farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and South Sudan.
Five years ago, he co-founded Karibu Homes, a real estate firm that offers low-cost housing to Kenyan families.
“Karibu Homes provides hard working Kenyan families
affordable, well-constructed homes in thriving communities — a
fundamental human need — and opens up home ownership to low-income
families who have so far been excluded from this opportunity,” he says.
Mr Keshavjee says the firm offers two categories of houses for sale at one of lowest prices in the market.
Athi-type one-bedroom unit, he says, goes for Sh1.6
million while the two-bedroom one costs Sh2.57 million and
three-bedroom house goes for Sh3.48 million. However, the Tana-type
homes are priced higher than the Athi-type with two-bedroom houses
costing Sh3.23 million and three-bedroom units Sh5.02 million.
Mr Keshavjee says Karibu Homes is a social venture,
which he defines as use of an enterprise to bridge a gap in the
provision of basic human needs.
“When we started researching for Karibu Homes, we
found that 90 per cent of Kenya’s urban population is excluded from the
housing market, which means that slums will keep sprawling,” he says.
“Until someone makes housing more affordable, a decent house will be
beyond the reach of most urban Kenyans.”
According to government reports, the demand for
homes outstrips supply five-fold and the housing shortfall is growing at
a rate of 150,000 units per year.
Shelter Afrique has provided long-term funding for
Karibu Homes to build 1,000 units on the 20-acre piece of land in the
next four years.
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