This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
Off-plan home buying, once a popular route to home ownership for low-income earners in Nairobi and its outskirts, has lost its appeal in recent times.
Over the past decade, many Kenyans have sunk millions of shillings into buying houses that were promised to be their dream homes, but the reality has been far from it.
Some developers have gone out of business, leaving homebuyers with huge losses, while others have failed to deliver on their promises, leaving residents living in houses with cracked walls, falling ceilings, and poor finishes.
At the Kimuyu and Cornerstone houses along the Thika superhighway, residents have been living in darkness for almost a month due to a lack of electricity, with some even buying their own generators to cope with the situation.
‘We’re living here in darkness and the management isn’t even having the courtesy to remedy the situation,’ said one resident, who wished to remain anonymous.
Another resident added, ‘Some of us have even bought our own generators because as you can see, we are on our own.’
Residents have also been complaining about the poor quality of the houses, with some having cracked walls and falling ceilings.
‘These are not homes! We have houses that have cracked walls and falling ceilings,’ said the resident.
Despite calls to Mahiga Homes, the developer behind the project, the firm claimed that all they could offer were photos and that all their completed houses were fully occupied.
However, a detailed check around the residence revealed that the sewerage line was yet to be completed, with some houses having flushing units that did not work, posing health hazards to the families.
‘You can’t, it but we’ve been here for over a year, but the developer doesn’t care. All we receive are empty promises,’ said a young couple who also sought anonymity.
The residents, who are on their own, are now using a makeshift bio-digester.
Home-owners bought the units for about Sh3.5 million, but what they are grappling with are small houses, cramped together – a far cry from the dream house they were promised.
