Police officers in Garissa town will soon have a reason to smile after the State Department for Housing secured a contractor to complete construction of stalled police houses in the next 12 months.
The Police and AP housing project was constructed on the first floors and has stalled for almost nine years.
The project in Garissa was part of other two projects in Bungoma and Uasin Gishu County launched in 2016 for the construction of police and prison officers’ housing units and was to be completed within 52 weeks.
The completion of the project is now expected to cost Sh 227 million within 12 months according to contract documents.
Speaking during a site handover ceremony, North Eastern Regional Director for Housing and Market, John Karanja, said that institutional and police housing are products of the Affordable Housing Programme aimed at ensuring that all institutions are included.
Karanja said that the government was committed to making sure that all police houses are completed to enable the officers to live in dignified areas.
“To ensure that our officers live in dignified and clean environments, the government is very deliberate to ensure that all police houses, both new and that for a reason stalled, are completed,” Karanja said.
“The State department for housing has procured a contractor to finish up this project. It consists of three blocks of three, two and one bedrooms with a total of 150 units and they will have other social amenities as well,” he added.
Also present during the site handover was Garissa County Commissioner, Mohamed Mwabudzo, the County Police Commander, Amos Ambasa and county housing officials.
By Erick Kyalo
