Developer asks State to go rural for cheap houses
REAL ESTATE: To tackle Kenya’s housing deficit, the government has been urged to come up with policies to make housing more affordable for Kenyans.
According to Banda Homes chief executive Fabian Nzivo, the government should prioritise the establishment of passable access roads to undeveloped land to ensure more people are lured to build homes upcountry.
Nzivo said while the government had tried to put up good roads and intensified electricity connections, more needed to be done to achieve the highly-hyped ambition.
“More Kenyans will settle in rural areas if there are good roads and other necessities such as reliable electricity. In rural areas, the land is expansive, thus affordable housing can be easily realised,” he said.
Private investors
Speaking when the company handed over 30 housing units in Kiambu County, Nzivo said the affordable housing agenda was achievable if the government committed to working with private investors to fast-track implementation.
According to World Bank statistics, the production of housing is currently at less than 50,000 units annually culminating in a deficit of more than two million units. Nearly 61 per cent of urban dwellers live in slums.
