Steve Mbego
NAIROBI, KENYA: Government’s
housing programmes might leave out a majority of Kenyans because of the
issue of affordability, Pan-African housing development financier,
Shelter Afrique has said.
Shelter Afrique urged the government and players in real estate sector
to consider venturing into social housing projects to ensure housing
shortage is addressed across all segments.
Shelter Afrique Managing Director Andrew Chimphondah noted that acute
housing supply shortage is often concentrated in the low-income housing
market and “if infused into the programmes, social housing will ensure
accessibility by all, including the less privileged”.
Housing shortage in Kenya is between 150,000 and 200,000 units in urban
areas and more than 300,000 units in rural areas. Currently the
government and private sectors are providing only 30,000-50,000 units
per year, which is below the actual demand.
“While real demand is very high among the less privileged, it’s
constrained to the middle and upper-income segments. This is why the
government’s housing projects need to embrace both affordable and social
housing elements, Chimphondah said.
He said Shelter Afrique for instance is concentrating more on social
housing as a key priority for the company and had made deliberate
efforts to expand the supply of low-cost housing and increase access of
housing to low-income populations.
“Already, we are partnering with the government and the UN-Habitat to
develop a social housing scheme within Mavoko Municipality under the
Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP). We have also extended lines of
credit to some private developers for on-lending to projects of social
housing nature,” Mr. Chimphondah said.
Affordable housing is one of the key pillars of President Kenyatta’s
government. The other pillars under the Big Four Agenda are
manufacturing, Universal healthcare and food security all aimed at
boosting Kenya’s development, creating wealth and employment.
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