Naivasha’s one-of-a-kind resort

To many people, any mention of Naivasha brings to mind  the dusty town’s Sh75 billion flower industry. And rightly so as the flourishing industry has transformed the lakeside town, which is today considered Kenya’s home of cut flowers.

However, Naivasha, which derives its name from  the Maasai word, Naiposha, which loosely translates to “rough waters”, is set to score another first in real estate.

The dusty town, which has overtaken Nakuru as the new investment destination in the cosmopolitan county, is positioning itself  as the first choice for holiday home owners who want to have a true feeling of Kenya’s finest and prestigious housing concept outside Nairobi.

The upcoming Aberdare Hills Golf Resort, sitting on a 3,000-acre piece of land, is a game changer for investors casting their nets outside the city as the serene estate is one of a kind in the region.

The multibillion Aberdare Hills Golf Resort at Chapachula Village comprises different units of classic designs and types including villas, townhouses and apartments situated some seven kilometress off the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway, and offering a spectacular view of Lake Naivasha.

BUILT TO SPECIFICATION

Besides the view of the fresh water lake, the home owners will enjoy great views of prominent natural features such as the steaming geothermal wells on Eburu Hills and the picturesque Great Rift Valley Escarpment

“This is a unique housing project that will be the only one of its kind in Africa and by the time it is fully completed in the next eight or 10 years, Nakuru County will never be the same again,” says Mr Njuguna Kamau, who the project’s general manager.

The Sh200billion project associated with the former powerful Attorney-General, Mr Charles Njonjo, was launched in 2011 and is funded by leading banking institutions in the country including the Kenya Commercial Bank, Equity Bank, and CFC Stanbic.

“We have spent about Sh1 billion on earth moving equipment and other machines as we make most of the construction materials at the site, such as building blocks and furniture-related products to cut down on cost,” Mr Kamau told DN2 during a recent site visit.

The manager, who is also the chairman of the Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Nakuru County, said the unit prices would depend on the location and the size of land a unit  sits on.

“We build our houses to customer specifications and a two-bedroom house on one eighth of an acre will go for Sh20million, a three-bedroom will retail at Sh30million, a four- bedroom  one will go for Sh50million, while a five-bedroom unit will go for  between Sh65million and Sh70million; an empty, one-acre plot is currently selling at Sh120million,” said Mr Kamau.

But unlike the gated communities in Nairobi, the upcoming project by Panda Development Company will have a world-class golf course.

The community will also have a club house, a spa, a five-star hotel and an ultra-modern hospital, which has already been booked by a South African investor.

The 18-hole, 72 par golf course will be Kenya’s finest and is likely to make Nakuru County a golf tourism resort as it will be constructed to  international standards, complete with a driving range, and training zones with the latest facilities.

“In the next two years, Naivasha will be Kenya’s golf tourism destination as the project will  be constructed to full international  and United States Golf Association championships standards, and that is why the European golf designers have been appointed as consultants,” said William Lister, the golf course construction manager.

Lister, a veteran golf course manager, has worked on golf courses in Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa, and says the 6,700-metre golf course will be different as it will be East Africa’s premier golf resort.

JOBS GALORE

“This is a unique championship course that will set new standards in course, design and construction, and it will rank as one of Africa’s most prestigious and secluded golf courses, with a spectacular landscape that will create the ideal setting for a world-class championship golf course,” said Lister, who comes from South Africa.

The project has also created a tree nursery project with two million seedlings that will be distributed for free to the neighbouring community in a bid to conserve the environment.

But the main beneficiaries of the project will be the county government of Nakuru and Naivasha residents Naivasha who will be employed during the construction.

“Currently we have employed almost  200 people at the site and when the work is completed,  we shall have an equal number of people who will be employed on permanent terms while the county government will rake in millions of shillings in revenue collection from various licences and other levies,” said Mr Kamau.

“We have taken care of the environment and since we want to create harmonious living in a secure and serene environment, we have incorporated a tree nursery that will be a permanent feature in the village,” said Mr Kamau.