Homa Bay hustlers earn a fortune from housing plan sites

Miriam Akoth, a mother of four, is a resident of Shauri Yako slum in the outskirts Homa Bay town and a small-scale trader.

She cooks and sells food to construction workers contracted to put up affordable houses in Homa Bay town under the affordable housing programme.

Akoth says her dream is to, one day, own a house from the money she gets from the business. She also plans to use the money to expand her business.

From earning between Sh500 to Sh800 daily from hawking food and now as a casual worker, Akoth takes home between Sh3,000 and Sh5,000 on a good day, thanks to the affordable housing programme.

“Before the commencement of the construction of the affordable housing programme houses, I used to walk around various construction sites supplying food to workers where I would make between Sh500 and Sh800,” she says.

Akoth says her new fortunes have enabled her to provide for her family, pay school fees for her two children in high school and also cater for rent as well as cater to other basic needs.

Previously, Akoth would serve close to 50 workers as she vended food at the various construction sites.
Akoth is just one of those reaping big from the affordable housing project which is currently ongoing in Homa Bay.

The first phase of the 110 affordable housing units is being undertaken by the National government in partnership with the county government under the National Housing Corporation.

The proposed project aims to provide a total of 400 housing units comprising 120 bedsitters or studio apartments, 140 one-bedroom units and 140 two-bedroom units at an estimated cost of Sh1 billion.

Like Akoth, a team of welders drawn from all the nine sub-counties in Homa Bay have formed an association, and for the first time, clinched a Sh11.3 million tender to provide building materials for the project.

The Homa Bay Young Welders Association which brings together more than 100 members will supply steel doors and windows for the project.

According to Geoffrey Odhiambo, association’s secretary, the project has created job opportunities for the youth across the county.

Odhiambo says after winning the tender, they subcontracted jobs to other welders drawn from various parts of the county to improve their source of income.

He adds that more than 100 welders who own workshops are directly involved in the exercise. “We have directly involved over 100 welders who own workshops across the county. They too have engaged a number of youth who get their daily income from the project,” he said.

Currently, the association relies on members’ contributions to get material for the works, pending payment once they deliver. “At the moment we have not received any payment from the exchequer, as a group we raised our own capital which we are using to acquire materials and pay the casuals their wages,” he said.

Member’s dream

The members’ dream is to own a number of the affordable houses once the construction process is completed and also acquire plots so that they can be able to put up their own rental houses and a welding yard once paid.

“We are very happy with the project and to President William Ruto who during the campaigns promised to improve the lives of the hustlers and that is what we are currently witnessing,” he said.

George Ombok, the association’s chairman says the initiative has massively changed the lives of many young people who didn’t have jobs before, despite having good education.

“A number of youth who were jobless are now in a position to get some money to take home at the end of the day,” he said. “We have advised them to ensure they do invest the little they get even if it is buying a chicken or a goat so that at the end of the project, they are able to see the benefits.”

Residential zone

With the project being 80 per cent complete, there is a glimpse of hope for the low-end population living in the Shauri Yako, Sofia and Makongeni slums to own decent houses.

Some 75 per cent of the population of Homa Bay town residents stay in low- income residential housing units, 20 per cent in the middle-income housing areas and five per cent in the high- income residential zone.

According to NHC Managing Director David Mathu, Homa Bay AHP project is the first in Africa to get the Edge Certification and international approval for its environmentally friendly building strategies and the first one to be launched by President Ruto on January 13, 2023 and was to be completed in one year.