In response to the escalating housing crisis in the Coast region, the national government has announced a dedicated initiative to enhance affordable housing options and construct additional units across the region.

The government is set to construct 100,000 housing units in Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Lamu and Tana River counties under the Affordable Housing Program (AHP).

Mombasa will have 50,000 units expected to be constructed with Phase 1 of the Sh6.5 billion Buxton housing project consisting of 512 units already done and delivered to their owners.

Phase two is currently underway and will consist of 1,512 units.

Coast regional director Affordable Housing Program and Markets John Karanja, said  once all the project sites are activated, it will create 200,000 jobs for both skilled and unskilled Kenyans.

“We expect the benefit to be enormous on the value chain of housing development once these sites are activated in these counties. We expect to have about 30,000 jobs both skilled and unskilled created,” said Karanja.

Karanja was addressing the media at the county commissioner’s office in Uhuru na Kazi building after holding a meeting with the Mombasa County assistant county commissioner and other stakeholders in the housing sector.

He said the government was working closely with the Jua kali sector in the projects to ensure that both skilled and unskilled Kenyans gain employment in the housing project.

“To ensure that they benefit, the government has ring-fenced more than 80 products to be supplied by Jua kali artisans in all localities that the houses are being constructed.” He said.

He added , “Mombasa for instance, we will have all doors and windows to be fabricated and all supplies are to be procured within the county.”

Karanja said ring-fencing the products used in AHP means that contractors will not go out of the country to source for products to be used and this will translate to the empowerment of locals and the local economy.

“To ensure that happens, we are registering all Juakali artisans in one umbrella so that contractors are able to source their products and even labor from government offices charged with MSMEs,” he said.

Other project sites within the county include Mzizima (2,000 units) VOK (2,850 units) and Changamwe to have 20,000 units once completed.

Kilifi county he said has four sites expected to generate 20,000 units once done with Lamu having  a site in Mokowe that will have 1,000 units.

In Kwale, four sites have been identified including the Mabokoni smart city which sits on 30 acres, the White house Diani site that will have 300 units, the survey camp in Kwale with 1,600 units and the Kwale housing scheme.

“In Tana River, the government has identified 4 sites in Mapenzi, Vetinary Camp and Garsen while in Taita Taveta County, phase two of the Voi Pool house is expected to be activated by February,” he said.

Mombasa assistant County commissioner Ronald Mwiwawi called on residents and leadership to support the AHP committee in the implementation of AHP programs.

He said  if all plans go on seamlessly, then about 50,000 people in the juakali sector will be employed here in Mombasa.

“My call to Mombasa people and the leadership is that we work closely with the committee and the national government to complete these projects,” he said.

Suleiman Mwatsanga, patron of the Likoni Juakali Association lauded the move by the government to incorporate the sector in the housing program.

He said for years, juakali artisans have been looked down upon for lacking papers with big construction tenders going to established companies.

Mwatsanga said that the opportunity given to them by the government will ensure that his members get jobs and this will have a great economic impact to their families.

“For many years, Juakali people were looked down for lacking papers, but we thank the government for recognizing us and giving us a chance,” he said.

 The government has also introduced the site appraisal program where if a worker is on site without certification, then officers from the relevant government department will come on site to certify their skills and give them certificates.

This will ensure that their skills are certified and they can use their certificates to apply for jobs in other places.