At 33 % complete, the construction of the massive Chuka Affordable Housing Project is gaining momentum, boosting the government’s bid to address the housing shortages bedeviling the country.
President William Ruto has set an ambitious programme to eradicate slums by building decent, affordable, safe and modern houses across the country. In total, President Ruto’s administration has set a target of 200, 000 housing units each year.
The Affordable Housing Program has earned President Ruto global recognition. Last week, he was among the keynote speakers during the 13th session of the World Urban Forum held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Ruto used the global platform to drum up support for the Affordable Housing Program saying that his government has already delivered some 273,000 housing units in the last three years.
“Eight thousand keys have been handed over, 55, 000 keys will be handed over by the end of this year and we have a pipeline of 700,000 housing units. I can say with confidence that today in Kenya we have the largest housing program on the continent of Africa,” he said.
The Chuka Affordable Housing is one of the ongoing projects in various parts of the country that Ruto alluded to in Baku, Azerbaijan.
According to the latest project brief, the project comprises four blocks with ten storeys each, totalling 385 units ranging from studio (single rooms), one bedroom, two bedrooms and three bedrooms respectively.
According to Ferros Khan, the Chuka Affordable Housing Operations Manager, the project is expected to significantly boost the local economy of Chuka Town and surrounding areas through job creation and expansion of business opportunities.
“With this project, the President has done a lot for us because it has created job opportunities for the Gen Z and even mothers, the elderly, the mothers, and Persons With Disabilities, are going to benefit from this project,” he said.
Noting that the project is slated to be completed in December, Khan said that the project adopts the whole-community approach with male, females and even People With Disabilities actively involved in the ongoing construction.
Describing Chuka Affordable Housing as a massive project, Khan said it takes the form of modern housing complete with a basketball court, ample parking space, garbage collection area shop, stalls and day care where mothers can leave their children as they go to work.
“We have single bedrooms, we have double bedrooms and we have three bedroom houses,” he said, adding that the project also has job opportunities for locals. “We have 300 skilled and unskilled workers as well as casual laborers too, men are 60 % and women 40 % respectively.”
“This project is going to change this area a lot because it is a big project and it is going to create jobs for many people. Already, it is already solving many issues because many people get more here,” he said.
Apart from providing job opportunities for the skilled and unskilled labourers, the project has also opened opportunities for graduate interns, providing them with hands-on training and monthly stipends from the government.
In January, the president osted more than 5,000 interns with qualifications in the construction industry including civic and structural engineers, quantity surveyors, planners, and Information and Communications mong others.
Marvice Wanja Mugambi, who graduated in 2023 at Karatina University with a Bachelor’s in Communication and Public Relations, now works at the project, helping in dissemination of information.
“I was part of the 5,000 and this internship programme has helped a lot, it is offering the youth with job opportunities. I am happy because this project has equipped us with skills. It has given us a job opportunity and also a platform where we can network with people here,” said Wanja.
