Homeowners of the Buxton Point units will on Saturday plant trees to mark the beginning of a new journey in their lives as Phase 1 of the project nears completion.
Managing director Ahmed Badawy said Phase 1 of the Sh6 billion project is 90 per cent complete.
Major works including plumbing, electrical, plastering and painting have been done.
“The trees will create a conducive environment to live in, improve the air quality, create a common space for residents to gather and relax, hence promoting social interactions and providing a lifelong shade to residents of Buxton Point,” Badawy said in a statement.
He said the sold-out Phase 1, which has 584 units, will change the narrative about social and affordable housing in Mombasa and Kenya at large.
Phase 2 of the project will have 1,300 units, which are currently on sale.
Suleiman Shahbal, the brains behind the project, said Mombasa has now become a benchmark destination on matters of housing and urban development following the construction of the Buxton Point project.
On April 2, the Buxton Point team led by Badawy hosted Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii together with his team for a tour of the site.
“I'm happy to see more counties being interested in ensuring they provide dignity and security through the provision of homes to their people,” Shahbal said.
The estate will have four courtyards and four streets and already, the EALA MP has called on Mombasa residents to suggest names of the streets and courtyards.
According to Shahbal, the names should preferably be in Swahili to promote the Swahili culture.
On Tuesday, Badawy said they have put in tremendous effort and dedication into the project to ensure they meet the highest standards of quality and excellence.
“We focus on building a lifestyle and not just apartments,” Badawy said.
On March 24, the Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing, led by Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa, gave Shahbal, the developer, and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir 21 days to come up with a solution that will accommodate all the former tenants.
This was after it was revealed that only 60 of the 522 former estate residents agreed to purchase the new units.
Others said they were too expensive for them despite being given preferential treatment.
However, Nassir said he is working on a plan that will see all other former tenants get units at in the redeveloped Buxton Point Apartments.
The plan involves trying to negotiate a tenant purchase scheme with financial institutions for the 346 tenants who were not county employees.
The 176 county employees who were former tenants at Buxton estate will have the scheme.