The government intends to put up 11, 785 units for the General Service Unit (GSU) officers in various camps from 105 tenders for houses advertised last week, Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary Zacharia Njeru has said.
Another 21, 692 and 8,000 units, Njeru said, are set to be constructed for the police and students respectively.
The advertised projects according to the CS also include three for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
"This is in line with the affordable housing program of institutional housing...we want to ensure our officers are also dignified," he noted.
Speaking Thursday during the signing of the agreement with the contractor for the Sh18.32 billion Shauri Moyo B project, the CS also disclosed that 239 priority sites with an area of 2,000 acres have been identified across the country for the actualization of the plan.
Out of the 29 sites advertised, Njeru noted, 18 were responsive with 12 having already been awarded while six others set to be awarded next week.
“The 11 that were unresponsive will be retendered because as a government we are keen to ensure this project succeeds,” said the CS.
Some five legacy projects started by the former administration, he said, have been revived and will give 9,935 units.
Hajara Services Limited won the tender to put up the Shauri Moyo B project which is set to be done in three phases with a four-year completion period.
It will comprise 4,566 units with 3, 828 being affordable.
“It is a huge project and within that, we are going to have a social hall, upgrade a nearby school by building 16 classrooms, a commercial center, playground and 1,672 parking slots and also plant 200 trees as part of the social infrastructure,” Njeru added.
As part of the agreement, the developer is set to undertake the cost of relocation of 299 tenants living in the government houses on the project site to allow for boarding and demolition.
Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga said that currently there is a deficit of 639,000 student accommodation in the country.
Hinga at the same revealed that ongoing projects valued at Sh70 billion are from investors and they are focused on delivering it to “reassure them of their money once the houses are completed to offtake”.
“The people that we are targeting so that they can get these homes may not be as attractive to the investors because they are low-income that is why we entered into a long-term plan where you pay depending on the size of your pocket and that is the essence of this housing levy,” he said.
Projects that are already ongoing are in Homa Bay, Nakuru, Machakos and several others in Nairobi.
President William Ruto launched two others in Kerugoya and Thika this week.
