Industrial park key to housing dream, says PS

By , January 19, 2023

The government has announced plans to construct an industrial park at the East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) to promote production of local construction materials.

Speaking yesterday during a familiarisation tour at Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) offices in Nairobi, Industrialisation PS Juma Mukhwana said the industrial park would go a long way in helping small scale businesses set up industries.

Government’s agenda

 “Our idea is to assist small businesses to have an opportunity where they can set up industries. With our bottom up agenda, we want to ensure they have a place where they manufacture their products and at the same time get to market.”

He said the move will go a long way in supporting the government’s agenda on affordable housing.

“Affordable housing is part of President William Ruto’s top agenda and our goal is to construct at least 250,000 houses every year for low income-earners in the next five years,” said Mukhwana. “The government’s focus is to expand access to quality, spacious, safe and secure houses across the country for our people at an affordable cost and by having a materials park in place, construction costs will go down,”

Job opportunities

According to Mukhwana, construction of affordable housing units will also provide job opportunities for millions of Kenyans struggling to put food on the table.

Already, President Ruto has commissioned 17,850 units in Mukuru, Rongai and Kibera to ease the housing burden affecting low-income earners and the programme also targets the over 6.5 million Kenyans living in slums and other informal settlements. “One of the fastest growing sectors in the country is the construction industry and yet the sector has relied heavily on imports for most construction materials such as tiles, plumbing, electrical and other materials. This is what we want to stop and have that money pumped into our economy,” said Mukhwana

Housing deficit

The housing demand in the country is estimated at 250,000 houses annually and with a supply of only 50,000 new houses annually and there is an 80 per cent annual housing deficit.

At the same time, Mukhwana said the government was supporting the”Buy Kenya, Build Kenya” initiative aimed at bolstering the manufacturing sector and creating more job opportunities for the youth.

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