No affordable houses in Makongeni
Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga recently shed light on why the government can’t relocate the residents of Nairobi’s Makongeni to completed units under the Affordable Housing Programme. During an interview on Citizen TV this Tuesday, Hinga clarified that these units are intended for sale.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be feasible to move the Makongeni residents into these homes and then sell them to other buyers.
“The finished units are for sale, so we will not be able to accommodate them in another unit, which then you have to go sell to somebody else,” Hinga explained.
He further noted that the government is equally trying to eradicate Mukuru slums; therefore, it will not be possible to resettle residents from another area into the already finished housing units in Mukuru.
“The finished units that we have at the moment are in Mukuru, and we already have a programme because we are also eradicating Mukuru slum, and we are doing it systematically, so you can’t go far away into Makongeni and take the people from Makongeni and settle them in Mukuru and at the same time, you are trying to sort out Mukuru.”
The residents received a notice from the government asking them to leave their homes to make way for an affordable housing project. They were given a deadline of December 2 to vacate.
According to the government, most residents have already received compensation of Sh150,000 to help them move and find new places to live.
However, the government has promised that these residents will be prioritized when it comes to housing allocations once the project is finished.
Some of these residents have called this area home for over sixty years.
On Tuesday, the Environment and Land Court stepped in to stop the ongoing evictions and demolitions, providing temporary relief to hundreds of residents facing displacement. This decision came after an urgent application was filed by the Makongeni Residents Association and five other petitioners, who argued that the demolitions were being conducted unlawfully.
The court’s orders prevent the respondents—Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme, the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, and the Affordable Housing Board—from starting or continuing any form of eviction, demolition, or property removal in Makongeni.
No affordable houses in Makongeni
