Factories, road infrastructure and other industries are increasing the demand for housing in Kilifi county, real estate developers in the region have said.
Investors in the county said the majority of factories that have been set up in the region have provided employment to thousands of people.
Therefore, the demand for housing is also going up in the area, making Mtwapa, Kikambala, Vipingo and Kilifi towns some of the rapidly growing regions of the county.
The 40.4-kilometre Mtwapa - Kwa Kadzengo - Kilifi Road whose construction was launched by President William Ruto last November 19, is also taking shape, gradually opening up the region.
According to the 2009 census, Kilifi county had a population of 1.5 million people, coming closely after Mombasa’s two million people. However, the population is rapidly increasing because of the many companies, factories and investment coming up in the region.
Mwenda Thuranira, the CEO of My Space Properties, a real estate and property firm that has offices in Mombasa, Nairobi, Isiolo and Meru said new investors should now focus on building affordable modern houses in Kilifi County.
“Whenever there is increased employment opportunities, demand for housing also goes up. People can now afford quality things and houses, and because Kilifi county is rapidly growing, investors should also focus on putting up affordable modern houses in the region,” Thuranira said.
Speaking to the Star in Mombasa town, the CEO said they have been gathering market intelligence and are now advising investors to also focus on housing.
He said the region needs at least 10,000 new units to address the demand.
One of the ventures that has come up is the Mtwapa Business Park, which consists of 42 warehouses sitting on a 10.5-acre parcel of land.
The ambitious project has been undertaken by the Milli Group of Companies, a leading manufacturer of food items and beverages in the country.
Mtwapa Business Park Director Mohammed Rashid described the new facility as a game changer in transforming the economy of Mtwapa and the entire Kilifi county at large.
"This is a first of its kind in Kilifi, the park is an ideal location for manufacturing, SME operations, value addition, show rooms and storage and warehousing purposes," he said.
He said each of the warehouses has a potential to employ 100 people, therefore, the 42 warehouses are expected to create more than 4,000 direct employment opportunities for Kilifi residents.
“The reason we decided to invest in Kilifi is because the region is growing and it is friendlier for expansion of business. With all these industries coming up, employment opportunities are going to come up in the Kilifi area to an extent where we will now have a problem of housing,”Rashid said.
He said most of the people employed in Kilifi now need rental houses.
“Mtwapa is now employing a lot of people on an industrial scale. Next, we should see people investing in housing to accommodate the thousands of workers who are working in this region,” he said.
Other brands that have set up in Kilifi county include Pwani Oil Limited, Revital Healthcare, Mzuri Sweets, Vipingo Ridge, Vipingo Oils, Centum Investment and a number of Export Processing Zones.
Patrick Kariuki, a youth in Mtwapa, said the new opportunities in Kilifi county will help eradicate crime and insecurity in the region.
“Most youth, even without skilled labour, are able to secure employment opportunities in all these projects that are coming up in the region,” Kariuki said.