Kenya Requires Sh800bn to Upgrade Slums in Major Towns

The Kenya slum upgrade programme, featuring Nairobi and other parts of the country, cost the government a total of Sh800 billion according to Housing Minister Shoita Shitanda.

To this end, the government initiated the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP), whose first phases included the improvement of slums in Kisumu, Nairobi, and Mombasa, while the second phase covered other provincial towns including slums in Eldoret and Thika.

Mr. Shitanda had said the plan was part of the government’s efforts to achieve Vision 2030.

The minister, speaking at the Kisumu Housing Expo, had said that there was a need to develop Kisumu’s property market as the region had been mooted to become the headquarters of the East Africa Community.

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Shitanda had said the ministry was implementing slum upgrading projects in Kisumu’s informal settlements through KENSUP, which aimed at improving the lives and living conditions of about 5.4 million slum dwellers in all Kenyan urban slums through systematic improvement of the living environment.

He had said the government had drafted a Bill that would address the problems between landlords and tenants.

Kisumu Mayor Sam Okello had urged investors to construct more houses and hostels in the Lakeside town to meet the increasing demand for accommodation.

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