The Santana affordable housing project in Kisauni’s Kwa Sonko area in Mombasa officially commenced on Tuesday with calls for investors to use the latest technology.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry said doing so will ensure the price of the units comes down further without compromising on size and quality.
“This helps make the houses strong and pushes the cost up. But we must adapt to change to ensure the cost comes down,” KNCCI Mombasa county chair Aboud Jamal said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Jamal asked more businesses to invest in the project in Kisauni, an area hitherto branded as insecure because of the terror caused by machete-wielding criminals.
The Sh4 billion Santana project will see 816 units constructed, creating jobs for over 2,000 youth, mostly from Magogoni and Mtopanga wards.
Megna Homes CEO Ahmed Badawy said their goal, besides coming up with decent housing for the people of Kisauni, is to change the image of the sub-county.
He said the project, which will take about two years to complete, will partly solve the insecurity challenges witnessed in Kisauni by providing jobs for the youth, thereby keeping them occupied. The project will necessitate the construction of a police post.
“Insecurity will be a thing of the past. Santana will solve the unemployment problem in Kisauni,” he said.
Santana will bring the first Olympic-size swimming pool in Kisauni, a world-class seven-a-side football pitch and a sewer treatment plant, among other amenities.
“There will be one, two and three-bedroom units measuring 430, 645 and 830 square feet respectively,” Badawy said.
Megna Homes chairman Mohamed Islam assured residents they will be given priority in employment at the project site.
He reiterated the need for technological transfer to provide the youth with the skills needed.
Islam said the next project will be in Changamwe constituency ahead of another one in Jomvu.
Jamal said there is no shortage of land to come up with such affordable housing units not only in the Coast region but in Kenya at large.
“There are many investors who are ready to invest in such projects. They are only waiting for the opportunity,” he said.
He said the investors can avail their experts to train Kenyan youth on the latest technologies.
“This project will provide jobs in construction, maintenance, security and many other sectors,” Jamal said.
The KNCCI Mombasa chair said they will connect investors to local and international partners.
“There are financial institutions that come to us seeking partners as they offer Sharia-compliant financial solutions,” Jamal said.
He said more affordable housing projects should be initiated to support the government’s agenda of ensuring decent living conditions for Kenyans of all walks of life.
