A new report suggests that the dream of affordable housing for Nairobi's poor may not come true. The report was made by the Nairobi County assembly's land committee and examined two housing projects: Jevanjee and Pangani.
The report found that private investors own most of the affordable housing units in these projects. The public, through the county government, only owns a small part of the units. Some of the county's units are even saved for politicians and officials.
For example, the Pangani project has 1,562 housing units, but the county only owns 333 of them. A private developer owns the rest. All of the one-bedroom units in Pangani were sold. The county only owns two out of the 248 two-bedroom units. For the three-bedroom units, the developer owns 373, and the county has 203.
The Jevanjee project is similar. It has 1,830 units in total. The county owns just five out of the 180 one-bedroom units. A developer owns the rest. All have been sold. For two-bedroom units, the county has 133 out of 718. Again, they've all been sold. There are 318 three-bedroom units. The county owns a mere 58.
These findings are bad news for city residents who hoped to buy these affordable homes. Not only does the public own very few units, but most are already sold out.
When the idea of affordable housing began, the government wanted it to help fix the slum problem. The public gave land and money to help build the projects, thinking this would make the homes cheap and easy for regular people to buy.
But the new report shows this isn't happening. Instead, private business owners have most of the homes. Even worse, construction on the projects is very delayed. The county blames things like COVID-19, floods, city unrest, and the Ukraine war.
The Jevanjee project is only 46% done. It might not be finished until late 2026. For Pangani, the county can't even find the title deed to the land. Without that, the project is stuck.
Many people in Nairobi were counting on these affordable homes, and they gave their tax money to help fund them. However, wealthy private investors will likely benefit the most in the end. The county needs to figure out what went wrong and find a way to fix it. If not, the city's housing crisis will only get worse.
The report found that private investors own most of the affordable housing units in these projects. The public, through the county government, only owns a small part of the units. Some of the county's units are even saved for politicians and officials.
For example, the Pangani project has 1,562 housing units, but the county only owns 333 of them. A private developer owns the rest. All of the one-bedroom units in Pangani were sold. The county only owns two out of the 248 two-bedroom units. For the three-bedroom units, the developer owns 373, and the county has 203.
The Jevanjee project is similar. It has 1,830 units in total. The county owns just five out of the 180 one-bedroom units. A developer owns the rest. All have been sold. For two-bedroom units, the county has 133 out of 718. Again, they've all been sold. There are 318 three-bedroom units. The county owns a mere 58.
These findings are bad news for city residents who hoped to buy these affordable homes. Not only does the public own very few units, but most are already sold out.
When the idea of affordable housing began, the government wanted it to help fix the slum problem. The public gave land and money to help build the projects, thinking this would make the homes cheap and easy for regular people to buy.
But the new report shows this isn't happening. Instead, private business owners have most of the homes. Even worse, construction on the projects is very delayed. The county blames things like COVID-19, floods, city unrest, and the Ukraine war.
The Jevanjee project is only 46% done. It might not be finished until late 2026. For Pangani, the county can't even find the title deed to the land. Without that, the project is stuck.
Many people in Nairobi were counting on these affordable homes, and they gave their tax money to help fund them. However, wealthy private investors will likely benefit the most in the end. The county needs to figure out what went wrong and find a way to fix it. If not, the city's housing crisis will only get worse.
