Kisumu City is set for a transformative housing revolution following the unveiling of the Sh5.2 billion Lumumba Estate affordable housing project.
This comes after the demolition of old houses at the pre-independence estate, bringing to an end 63 years of its existence.
The project spearheaded by the national government through the Affordable Housing Programme will see over 1,600 units developed to bridge the shortage of houses in the area.
State Department for Housing and Urban Development Nyanza Regional Director Jared Buoga said the project will have a mix of social housing and affordable housing, with a section of the estate offered for sale at market rates.
The project comprising studios, one bedroom, two bedrooms and three bedroom units, will incorporate modern amenities and environmentally sustainable features, promising a better quality of life for residents.
This, he said includes a health facility, shopping mall, Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre, paved walkways, parking lots, playgrounds and a clubhouse.
Additionally, the project is expected to create employment opportunities for locals during the construction phase, further stimulating economic growth in the area.
Buoga said the contractor who is on site has been given 18 months to complete the project after which the government will gazette the rates for acquiring the units.
“This is a fixed-contract project and there shall be no variations. Therefore, the contractor is expected to deliver the project between 18 and 24 months,” he said.
Speaking at Ofafa Memorial Hall in Kisumu during a public participation meeting on the Affordable Housing Regulations 2024, Buoga disclosed that four other major affordable housing projects were in the pipeline in the area.
The projects to be done in Maseno, Muhoroni, Ahero and Upper Kanyakwar, he said will go a long way in addressing housing needs in the lakeside city.
“We are already working on the designs for the four projects that we hope to roll out in the next financial year,” he said.
Also underway, he said, was the construction of ultra-modern markets at Kisian, Mowlem and Muhoroni with contractors given up to four months to complete the projects.
The projects rolled out by the affordable housing fund at a cost of Sh172.6 million, he said, will come with modern sheds, cold storage facilities, lactation rooms, ICT hubs and a circulation area with each market accommodating up to 200 traders.
He added that the state department was looking at all government houses in the area including civil servant pool houses with a view to redeveloping them under the affordable housing programme.
Some of the units, he said have decayed while others have been grabbed adding that plans are underway to include them under the affordable housing programme.
“The units here in Kisumu were done by different government agencies and we have some encumbrances. Some of them have arrears in statutory payments but we are inviting the state agencies to have discussions with the fund and see how we can partner to rebuild them,” he said.
Members of the public were taken through the Affordable Housing Regulations 2024 which have been developed by the state department for housing and urban development to operationalize the Affordable Housing Act.
Buoga challenged area residents to take advantage of the initiative and make voluntary savings through Boma Yangu in order to raise the required deposit to qualify for the units once they are completed.
“We must demystify this initiative. As you can see Kisumu County is already benefiting from the fund with the construction of Lumumba Estate and the three ultra-modern markets,” he said.
The team will also collect views from members of the public in Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii and Nyamira with the input expected to be considered alongside that from other parts of the country before the regulations are tabled in the National Assembly on 30th 30, 2024.
By Chris Mahandara
