This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
November 5, 2019, marked a significant call to action in the Kenyan real estate sector as Shelter Afrique CEO Andrew Chimphondah urged developers to prioritize mass housing projects.
Speaking on the pressing need for affordable housing, Chimphondah emphasized the importance of shifting focus from high-end clients to low-cost housing that would improve the quality of living spaces for most Kenyan families.
According to Chimphondah, most developers tend to add higher margins to their units, making them expensive and out of reach for low-income earners. This, he noted, contributes to the glut in the high-end property market despite the reported housing shortage in Kenya.
Shelter Afrique highlighted the benefits of participating in the government-fronted Affordable Housing Programme (AHP), which has identified and assigned 7,000 acres of land across the 47 counties for development. Private developers are invited to inject capital, develop the properties, and receive payment, as well as a 30 percent share of the land for their own use.
