Nairobi County is redesigning some of the housing units in the stalled Pangani housing project after three-bedroom homes proved difficult to sell, county officials have told the Assembly’s Planning Committee.
The changes affect Blocks 6, 7 and 8 of the development, where three-bedroom units are being resized into two-bedroom houses.
Director of Urban Renewal Dr Sammy Shileche told the committee that the decision was driven by demand, with the developer finding it difficult to sell the larger units.
“Initially Pangani was to have around 1500 units but block 6,7 and 8 the developer is revising from 3 bedroom to 2 bedroom because they were not able to sale adequately the three-bedroom units. According to the market rate, they have sold out all the units in block 1 to block 5,” Shileche told the committee.
The redesign has also increased the projected number of houses in the development from the initial 1,562 to 1,900 units.
However, the revised drawings have not yet been approved by Nairobi County.
This raised questions among MCAs over whether the changes could affect the county’s share of the project.
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MCAs question county’s share
Members of the committee, led by chairperson Geoffrey Majiwa, questioned whether Nairobi should receive more units if the overall number of houses has increased. Shileche said the county would first consult the county attorney before determining whether its allocation should be reviewed.
“So, if they are revising, is our shares for the county units also going to increase?” committee chair Geoffrey Majiwa asked.
MCAs also cautioned county officials against approving changes that could compromise the viability or safety of the development.
Chief Officer for Housing Godfrey Akumali assured the committee that the resizing would not involve changing the overall building infrastructure.
He said the project was being adjusted to provide smaller units rather than altering the fundamental structure of the buildings.
“Chair they are just reducing the sizes of the house but not compromising on the structural design of the houses, it is our intention that none of our projects ends up in disaster,” Chief officer housing Godfrey Akumali said.
The Pangani development comprises affordable housing and commercial units.
The original pricing included one-bedroom affordable units at about 1 million shillings, two-bedroom units at 2.5 million shillings and three-bedroom units at 3 million shillings.
According to the county, units in Blocks 1 to 5 have already been sold, while the resizing is being undertaken in Blocks 6 to 8.
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48 former residents still waiting
The changes come as 48 former residents of the Pangani estate continue to wait for the completion of the homes they were promised after their previous houses were demolished to make way for the development.
The affected residents have already received allotment letters for two-bedroom units from the county’s allocation.
They were paid 600,000 shillingsfor upkeep up to 2023 as they waited for the project to be completed.
“Chair we had a meeting last week with the developer and the chairman of the residents representing the tenants on how the 48 tenants need to be treated. the developer said he will communicate back on the way forward,” The Director said.
The project began in 2020 and was initially expected to be completed in 2023. It stalled before the deadline and is now about 65 per cent complete, according to the county.
The completion date has since been pushed to 2027.
The delay prompted MCAs to question whether the affected residents should receive compensation for the additional time they have spent waiting for their new homes.
Shileche told the committee that the county, developer and affected residents had already met to discuss the matter.
He said the developer had requested two weeks to come up with a way forward on compensation and other concerns raised by the residents.
The resizing of the houses now leaves another question for Nairobi County, whether the increase in the total number of units should also result in an increase in the county’s allocation. The county has not yet made a decision on the matter.
For the 48 former residents, however, the immediate concern remains when they will finally move into the houses allocated to them.
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