State bets on cheap technology to put up police houses

Independent Policing Oversight Authority Chairman, Macharia Njeru, with board members, addresses the press during the release of a report on police housing crisis. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • According to the Independent Police Oversight Authority, (IPOA) Chairman,  Macharia Njeru, more than 59,000 officers of the total 78, 000 in service are not housed.
  • With the annual absorption into service of police recruits, the housing crisis for the police keeps getting worse, with many of the junior officers worst hit.
  • Mr Njeru adds that the Sh3, 500 per month house allowance that junior officers get from the government does not reflect market rates reality.

The government is in the process of implementing an ambitious plan to build 100, 000 housing units for police officers using cheap, but ideal technologies that will cost the taxpayer Sh20 billion. Initially, the project was to cost Sh32 billion if it used the normal building technologies available inthe market, according to Lands and Housing Principal Secretary Aidah Munano.

 Ms Munano said the government has set aside Sh2.6bn in the current financial year to kick off phase one of the National Police Service Housing Scheme programme, where 1, 850 units will be ready for occupation by June 2017.

“The second phase will increase the units to 20,000 by July 2018, and 100,000 by 2030,” she said.

 Ms Munano added that the government has since procured several suppliers with established manufacturing plants in the country for materials.

“These include expended polystyrene panels, interlocking stabilised soil blocks, interlocking concrete blocks, and concrete waffles for suspended floor slab and fibre cement roofing tiles.  These technologies reduce the cost of building by at least 30 per cent,” she said.

According to the Independent Police Oversight Authority, (IPOA) Chairman,  Macharia Njeru, more than 59,000 officers of the total 78, 000 in service are not housed.

With the annual absorption into service of police recruits, the housing crisis for the police keeps getting worse, with many of the junior officers worst hit.

Mr Njeru adds that the Sh3, 500 per month house allowance that junior officers get from the government does not reflect market rates reality.

The Kenya Police Service is estimated to have a shortfall of 69 per cent of housing units, while the Administration Police has a 78 per cent shortfall.

However, Ms Munano says this will be a thing of the past once the housing programme gains momentum. “We have many favours working to our advantage which will see this project implemented to the letter. We have for instance been granted a treasury corporate tax waiver from 30 per cent to 20 per cent for developers who construct at least 1,000 housing units or more,” she said.

JOINT VENTURES

She added that the government has also waived the levies payable to National Construction Authority and the National Environment Management Authority, “which will further reduce the cost of construction of the houses.”

Ms Munano gave the assurance that it was practical for a single investor to put up at least 1,000 units in a year.

“With the use of industrial building systems and joint ventures as well as exploiting the benefits of these tax incentives, we are bound to attract and retain developers who in their push to maximise their returns from the incentives, will establish the projects speedily,” she said.

The PS said that the government has received a number of project proposals from investors who are willing to develop over 5,000 housing units and some up to a minimum of 20,000 units. “That is why I am confident about my promise that we will house our police officers adequately and at the same time address the acute shortage of low end houses. My ministry will continue engaging land owners including public institutions, county governments and cooperative societies with large tracks of undeveloped land, developers and financiers with a view to encouraging partnerships and joint ventures for enhanced delivery of affordable housing,” she said.

To consolidate the gains espoused, the government has also drafted a Built Environment Bill that provides a legal and institutional framework to address the provision of housing.

“This includes establishment of a one stop approval process under one agency; reforms in the building code, amendment of the regulations under the Sectional Properties’ Act, the housing Policy, the Maintenance Policy and the Slum Upgrading Policy,” she said.

The PS added that by taking up the initiative, the government is responding to Article 43(b) of the Constitution on “accessible and adequate housing”.