Kibera Set for 15,000 More Affordable Houses as Phase II Takes Shape [Photos]

Kibera is set to receive an additional 15,000 affordable housing units as the second phase of the Government's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) takes shape in Zones C and D.

In a statement on Tuesday, August 25, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the project was part of efforts to transform informal settlements.

"We cannot sustain the national conversation on Kenya Beyond Vision 2030 when parts of our Capital still take pride in descriptions such as 'the largest slum in Africa'.

"The Government's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP), a key pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), is changing that narrative by taking development to the lowest rungs of the socio-economic ladder and transforming informal settlements into dignified and inclusive communities," he wrote.

In Kibra's Soweto Zone B, Phase I is already taking shape, with 18 high-rise residential blocks delivering 4,054 modern housing units. 

Phase II, covering Zones C and D, is also underway, with the contractor already on site and clearance activities ongoing. 

The second phase is expected to add 15,000 housing units to the area.

Omollo said families that were relocated to create space for the development had already been issued identification cards and would be prioritised when the completed houses become available.

"Importantly, families relocated to create space for the development have already been issued identification cards and will be the first beneficiaries of the completed housing units.

"This ensures that the people who made way for the project are at the front of the transformation," he added.

Omollo said the project would also provide economic opportunities for residents, particularly young people and women living in Kibera, through employment and enterprise opportunities generated during its implementation.

"The project is a major engine of economic empowerment, creating employment and enterprise opportunities for young people and women living in Kibera," he further said.

The master plan for the development also provides for commercial and retail spaces alongside community facilities and essential infrastructure. 

These include community halls, Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, health clinics, water and electricity networks, waste management facilities, sewerage systems and stormwater drainage.

Elsewhere, the government has unveiled the Shauri Moyo B Affordable Housing Project in Nairobi, a major development expected to provide thousands of housing units alongside social and commercial amenities.

In a statement on Monday, August 24, Omollo said the project is being developed alongside Shauri Moyo A and will deliver 4,566 mixed-use housing units.

"Developed concurrently with Shauri Moyo A, the Shauri Moyo B Affordable Housing Project will deliver 4,566 mixed-use housing units, supported by a kindergarten, clubhouse, shopping mall, hospital and swimming pool," the statement read.

Omollo said the project forms part of the government’s broader programme aimed at upgrading informal settlements and creating better-planned communities with improved living conditions.

"The development is part of the Government's wider Slum Upgrading Programme, which seeks to progressively eradicate informal settlements in Nairobi and replace them with safe, dignified and well-planned urban communities," the statement added.

Omollo also highlighted the project’s contribution to employment, saying construction activities are creating opportunities for workers and businesses across different sectors of the construction value chain.

"The project is generating thousands of employment opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled workers, including engineers, technicians, artisans, contractors, suppliers, transport operators and young people across the construction value chain," the statement concluded.