NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 3 – Residents of Mariguini informal settlement in Nairobi South have implored President William Ruto to hasten the Slum Upgrading Program earmarked for the region.
Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege has expressed their satisfaction with the construction designs and standards saying it will uplift the standards of living for the residents in the informal settlement.
“The priority of Kenya Kwanza Alliance regime is housing and the Mariguini Informal Settlement started in the previous regime. When I came on board one of the updates I was given by the locals is for the upgrading of the project,” Chege stated.
The Nairobi South MCA spoke during a site visit at the ongoing Mukuru Social Housing project where the landlords and the residents gave nod to the government to undertake the slum upgrading project planned for in their residence within a maximum period of 2 years.
“A real upgrade of the residents of Mariguini is when they are relocated to houses with better social amenities at the same amount of rent.I will be happy as a leader within South B to relocate constituents to houses with better amenities like toilets,”Chege noted.
Officials from the State Department for Housing and Urban Planning were part of the site tour where they expressed their plans to kickstart construction of 4000 housing units in the area early next year set benefit over 2700 residents.
Director Slums Upgrading Department Mary Wanjiku promised that within two years of the commencement of the project set for next year the resident will have moved in to the new homes.
“Seeing is believing and even their project which is the evaluation stage will start it by early next year and we they are going to benefit from this project.Living in the poor conditions will be a thing of the past but in two years they will move to their houses,”Wanjiku stated.
Thousands are squeezed into 100,000 households made of rusted corrugated iron. They live a life with limited access to water, schools, roads and even toilets.
The Government of Kenya, in collaboration with UN-HABITAT and other stakeholders, initiated the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP).
The objective is to improve lives and livelihoods of people working and living in slums through various initiatives and interventions.
Source: capitalfm
