The Affordable Housing Programme in Wajir County is at an advanced stage and is expected to be completed within the next five months, North Eastern Regional Commissioner John Otieno has said.
The housing project, which is part of the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), is among several developments being implemented across the county’s six constituencies.
Speaking on Tuesday after leading the regional and county security teams, departmental heads and officials from the Government Delivery Unit on an inspection tour of the project in Wajir town, Otieno said the government will continue to closely monitor progress to ensure timely completion.
He said the Affordable Housing Programme is designed to create employment opportunities, support small businesses and improve living standards for residents.
“Each constituency in Wajir has an affordable housing project. These projects are geared towards creating jobs and enabling wananchi to earn income through related economic activities,” he said.
The Regional Commissioner noted that the remaining phase of construction is minimal and expressed confidence that the houses will be ready for occupation within the stipulated timeline.
At the same time, Otieno said national government administrative officers in the region have undergone a two-day training on BETA to enhance their understanding of the five pillars of the development agenda.
He said the training brought together deputy county commissioners and county heads of departments from both the national and county governments.
“The intention of this training is to equip our officers with adequate information so that they can effectively communicate government programmes and projects to members of the public,” he said.
Otieno observed that despite the numerous projects being implemented across the country, many wananchi remain unaware of them.
“Our officers, from chiefs to regional commissioners, are the link between the government and the people. They must understand the agenda to respond to questions from the public,” he added.
Regional Lead for the Government Delivery Unit in Eastern and North Eastern regions, Duncan Mwariri, said the inspection focused on affordable housing projects as a key pillar of the transformation agenda.
“In Wajir, we have residential housing units as well as hostels in institutions such as Wajir South TVET and Tarbaj HTTI where a student village is under construction,” he said.
He added that plans are underway to construct a modern market in Wajir town to further boost local trade.
Mwariri also cited other ongoing projects in the region, including road works awaiting contractor mobilization, water reticulation in Eldas Constituency and interventions to address power outages in Wajir and neighbouring Mandera County.
He said the government remains committed to fast-tracking development projects in the North Eastern region to spur socio-economic growth.
By Hamdi Buthul
