Residents from Ongata Rongai, Kajiado North, have joined others across the country and are set to benefit in the government’s Affordable Housing Program.
The Gataka area located near the Oloolaiser water plant within Ongata Rongai is part of this government’s initiative and is offering various unit types, including studios and one, two, and three-bedroom apartments through the Boma Yangu project.
Speaking, today, during a stakeholders meeting comprised of community leaders from the area on the upcoming project, Don Kagicha, the Regional Director of Nairobi Metropolitan, said the Sh 5.2 billion project will have over 2,000 units.
He, however, said that before the construction of the houses, the project will start by supporting schools in the surrounding area with social amenities, having recreational facilities around, and even building a community social hall for the community.
“The government is actively supporting infrastructure development in schools located within Affordable Housing areas, focusing on creating holistic communities, and for Gataka, we will not only be building a playground for Ongata Rongai Primary, which is nearby, but we will also put up a recreational facility that will have a football, volleyball, and basketball pitches and a social club for the community,” Kagicha noted.
The Director further said that since the infrastructure will be near the Oloolaiser Water Plant, they plan to drill three boreholes and have a sewer system to support the project.
He added that the housing project, which will incorporate a health center, an ECDE school, a powerhouse, and even a swimming pool, will have a total of 15 blocks and is expected to be completed within the next two years.
Kagicha confirmed everything is in place; the contractor is ready to start immediately and called on the residents of the area, especially the young people, to apply for the various jobs within the project.
“This project will ensure that the labour and material is sourced from the local community across the board in the construction activities, and this will foster a sense of ownership and community participation,” he said.
Wachira Kimani, the contractor in the project, assured the community that all labour will be sourced from the local residents, both skilled and non-skilled, unless they do not get it.
“We will have around 3000 people at the site, and this will bring about major economic change for the community,” he noted even as he encouraged the community to register and apply for the houses.
Ongata Rongai, Officer Commanding Station (OCS), asked the youth not to be selective when opportunities such as the job created through Affordable Housing come their way.
Most of the participants, who included clergy, chiefs, community policing leaders, and nyumba Kumi, as well as various leaders and officers from the larger Kajiado County, acknowledged the good work of the government but urged the government to look more into expansion and building of more schools within the area, as the few that were there were accommodating a huge number of students and had no proper infrastructure, such as water, social amenities, and even boarding facilities.
The Kajiado North Deputy County Commissioner (DCC), Metrine Wafula, who chaired the meeting, thanked the community for participating in the forum and acknowledging the efforts the government was working towards to ensure that all can be able to own homes.
Several Affordable Housing projects are underway in various wards in Kajiado County and will offer various unit types, from social housing to market-rate options, targeting different income levels.
President William Ruto has been actively promoting the Affordable Housing Programme to provide decent and Affordable Housing for all citizens, particularly low-income earners and those in informal settlements.
The program is a key component of his Administration’s development agenda and aims to address the housing deficit, while creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.
By Wangari Ndirangu
