This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
On a sunny Saturday in July 2020, Bishop Mark Kariuki, the chairman of Tushia Global Holdings, launched a new Sh11 billion affordable housing estate in Kiambu County. The occasion was the launch of Samara Estate, a project that promises to deliver 1,920 housing units to Kenyans earning less than Ksh20,000.
Speaking at the event, Bishop Kariuki emphasized the importance of owning a home, saying, “Owning a home is for the long run the most deliberate investment.” He added that the estate will house close to 2,000 units and become a home to countless more.
The Samara Estate is being developed by Sycamore Pine Ltd in conjunction with Safaricom and Shelter Afrique. The houses are being constructed by the China Syno Hydro Building Company and will retail at Ksh2.95 million and Ksh3.95 million for the two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments respectively.
Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, Charles Hinga, praised commitments by stakeholders to deliver 500,000 homes under the Affordable Housing Programme. He said, “Samara Estate is a reflection of what affordable housing is all about.”
The Affordable Housing Project (AHP) was launched in December 2017 as one of the national government’s four pillars of growth under President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Plan. It promises to deliver 500,000 affordable homes over a five-year period.
Residents of the Samara Estate will enjoy breathtaking forest cover views drenched in sunlight and tranquility and unsurpassed lifestyle at the Migaa Golf Course. China Building Technology Group Kenya (CBTG) Chief Executive Officer Tom Kimani Zeng was upbeat about completing the entire project in record time, saying, “Samara is a very good project, we envisage that we will deliver the entire apartments and mall in three years.”
