Govt spending Ksh 16B in upgrading informal settlements

The government has committed Ksh 16 billion to upgrade informal settlements in the country through the provision of clean water, better roads and street lighting.

Over 90 informal settlements across the country will benefit from the project, which is under the Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Program (KISIP) and has already kicked off and is expected to complete by March 2018.

According to Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, Aida Mwinamo, 15 areas under the defunct municipalities across 14 counties have already benefited from the First Phase of the project.

The PS, who was speaking in Naivasha after inspecting different beneficiary settlement schemes, reiterated that a further Ksh 1.4 billion would be used to upgrade Kasarani, Kihoto, Kamere and Karagita estates in Naivasha benefiting close to 80,000 people.

“In Naivasha, we have done street lights and now our focus is on roads and we expect to do 17 kms and supply water to 1,200 families in Naivasha as part of the ongoing project,” said the PS.

On her part, the Chairperson of the Kihoto Upgrading Program, Elizabeth Wanjiru, hailed the government’s initiative saying that the lives of locals had already started to change for the better courtesy of the upgrading programs in the estates.

“Criminal activities were at rampant in Naivasha because of the dark streets, now the problem has been minimized by the street lights erected in the estates. For years Naivasha has suffered from water consumed in this area due to the high levels of fluoride but this will change under this upgrading program,” she said.

Written by Majanga Michael