Realtors upbeat as Kisii sets stage for new urban upgrade plan
Real estate players in Kisii town are upbeat that a new urban development plan mooted by the county government will streamline the industry and thereby boost its growth aspirations.
The Kisii Municipality Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan (ISUDP), which is expected to replace the current one developed in the 1970s will guide development in the town, which is experiencing rapid real estate growth.
The administration launched the urban centre redesigning plans on January 19, paving way for the process of developing the proposed plan.
Kisii Municipality manager Nahashon Ongeri says the contract has already been awarded to an international consultancy firm, Howard Humphrey’s East Africa, and is expected to come up with the model in the next six months.
The proposed plan once crafted will then be presented to the county government’s cabinet and eventually to the county assembly for consideration of approval before implementation begins.
Ongeri says the proposed plan, which covers the entire Kisii Municipality will position the town as a preferred investment destination hence propel it towards the realisation of a city status.
He says the new plan will factor in an expanded municipal boundaries from 25 square kilometres to the current 77 square kilometres and its implementation is expected to run for a period of 20 years (2022-2042).
He says the plan will guide land use, drainage aspects, issues of environment, climate change and support the growth of the municipality.
Additionally, it will integrate transport (traffic management), road network, urban drainages, zoning regulations and ensure controlled development. “We expect the strategic plan to factor in the municipality development constraints and potentials and provide a spatial framework for future growth,” he explained.
The manager points out that since the initial plan, which was to be a 10-year plan done in 1972 expired, the town has never been properly planned.
Inspire investor confidence
As a result, he says Kisii town has been characterised by uncontrolled development, traffic congestion and flooding due to lack of a proper land-use plan. “We have witnessed haphazard developments taking place within the municipality resulting in issues of drainage deteriorating and a lot of congestion occurring,” Ongeri says, adding that developers will henceforth be able to locate and know which places are suitable for their preferred projects.
Ongeri states that the new planning model will be digitised for ease of access by stakeholders.
Realtors who spoke to Boma, welcomed the proposed plan, saying it will help redefine the sector’s development ambitions.
They concured that the town faced numerous challenges under the existing plan, which have impeded its desired growth over the years.
Simani Property Management Limited director, Duncan Simani says integration of the new plan will be pivotal in expanding Kisii town and improving its economy in line with Vision 2030, because investors will be more confident to make the town their investment destination.
The businessman also agrees that lack of proper planning has caused challenges, such as drainage problems and congestion, especially in the Central Business District , which has been hindering expansion of businesses, particularly wholesale and hardware shops that require huge storage space.
“Poor planning has made it difficult for developers to construct high-end commercial buildings, such as malls, office units since most places have old structures and their owners are adamant about embracing change,” he offers, adding that the county government should come up with clear guidelines on how buildings should be constructed,” he states.
Finsal Real Estate operations manager Alfred Matara on the other hand also observes that the current plan of the town has left planning gaps leading to haphazard development of properties. “There is no proper guideline detailing how properties should be developed in the town. For example, you will find developers putting up residential houses in areas designated for commercial properties,” he says.
Simani recommends that the proposed plan should factor in the expansion of road network to incorporate pedestrian and motorcycle paths in order to minimise frequent accidents.
Equal resources
Similarly, the proprietor proposes the demolition of old government houses to pave the way for construction of modern apartments. This, he says, will increase the number of housing units as demand arises.
He says some of the government offices should also be transferred to nearby estates, such as Nyanchwa, Jogoo and Nyamataro in order to distribute equal resources across the town and hence ensure they are not consolidated at one point.
Further, he says the new plan will stipulate proper regulations and standards on housing development. Such provisions, he says, should include the minimum size for each unit of a house, safety measures, such as firepoints and equipment, provision for elevators in buildings above four floors and hanging clothes.
He says in the plan, there should also be a provision that every building must have a parking lot to ease traffic congestion around the town. “Most developers tend to ignore these important requirements hence I would recommend them to be mandatory for every developer to implement,” he adds.
Dilapidated buildings
Simani urges the county government to consider inviting developers and real estate professionals to help with the planning of the town since they have first-hand experience. “As real estate developers, building warehouses outside town would be our only option, but this would be ideal if the town could be spread in order to share available resources,” he says.
On his part, Matara proposes that in the new plan, the municipality should consider moving market facilities and the various bus termini to designated places, specifically outside the town to reduce human traffic. “With a good road network, we are likely to see more developments taking shape in the areas surrounding the town and this will largely ease the pressure within the CBD,” Matara says, while suggesting that owners of some dilapidated buildings in the town should be advised to redevelop or demolish them.
The real estate agent foresees a bright future for Kisii’s real estate development, noting that the town will have a tremendous growth going forward if the plan is effectively implemented.
