Local materials will cut cost of homes – PS

The Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga wants manufacturers to step up production outputs to meet demand brought about by affordable housing projects.

Speaking during the validation workshop for the National Housing Corporation 2023-2027 Strategic Plan in Nairobi, Hinga noted that use of locally produced materials will help in cutting the overall cost of the housing units under the Affordable Housing Programme.

Hinga called on the manufacturers to leverage on large economies of scale as one way of bringing down the cost of production, which will in return see a drop in overall cost of constructing homes.

“As government, we will do all that is necessary including providing infrastructure and land to private developers so that we are able to meet the planned units at an affordable price,” he said adding that the private sector has a big role to play in realising the affordable housing dream.

The PS said the reason the Asian-tigers economies took off faster than Kenya was because of prudent planning of economic strategies which affected all sectors of development.

Hinga said NHC, being the lead implementer of the affordable housing programme, will receive enough financial resources to roll out the projects across the country.

The NHC five-year Strategic Plan is anchored on five pillars namely Housing, Financial, Estate Management, Research & Innovation and Corporate Sustainability.

Speaking at the event, NHC Managing Director David Mathu noted that the Corporation plans to build over 100,000 units in five years.

“The government plans to do one million housing units by the end of the financial years 2027/2028. Of this, the Corporation will undertake to construct 110,000 housing units: 100,000 units will be under the Affordable Housing Programme, 5,000 units under the commercial band and a further 5,000 as student hostel rooms,” he said.