County to build 1,800 new houses in Ngara

Nairobi Housing executive Charles Kerich with Media Council's Haron Mwangi in Nairobi. [Wilberforce Okwiri]

At least 81 tenants at the Jevanjee/Bachelor's quarters in Ngara have been relocated pending construction of new houses.

Speaking yesterday in Nairobi, Housing Executive Charles Kerich said the county administration plans to put up 1,800 new, affordable houses at the Ngara location.

He said the contractor is currently building a perimeter wall around the site.

“The ground breaking ceremony will take place once the developer completes the perimeter wall," said Mr Kerich (pictured).

"All the 81 tenants who have been moved have been compensated."

The contractor, Jabavu Ltd, will take two years to complete the project. Tenants who were moved, Kerich said, will be given first priority to purchase the houses.

“Our commitment remains unchanged. The tenants who were moved will be given priority when the units are ready for occupancy," he said.

The Housing Executive further said 1,434 units along Racecourse Road in Pangani whose construction began last month were on course for completion. The Pangani project is being undertaken by Technofin Kenya Ltd.

Last May, the county paid Sh28.8 million as compensation to 48 house owners at the Old Pangani Estate, who were supposed to pave way for the fresh construction.

Governor Mike Sonko handed the cheques to the house owners who had lived at the estate since it was established in the late 1960s.

According to the county housing docket, the 48 house owners are expected to use the money they were compensated with to rent houses in other city estates at an average monthly cost of Sh25,000 for the next two years.

After completion of the new high-rise apartments, each of them will be allocated a three-bedroom unit for which they will pay Sh3 million at a monthly rate of Sh8,000 for the next 30 years.

The construction of the housing units is a venture that is aligned with the government's Urban Renewal Project, which targets to build 500,000 affordable housing units countrywide in the next five years.