President William Ruto is next week scheduled to visit Uasin Gishu County for a development tour.
During the visit, the President is expected to launch several projects among them the construction of over 1,500 Affordable Housing units at Pioneer Estate in Eldoret town.
Ahead of Ruto’s visit, officials from the State Department for Housing on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, conducted a site visit for the 12-acre piece of land where the project will be constructed.
Uasin Gishu Governor Dr Jonathan Bii Chelilim and County Commissioner Dr Eddyson Nyale accompanied the officials.
According to Chelilim, besides the housing units, the project also includes access roads and an Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDE).
“This morning, accompanied by officials from the State Department for Housing, we conducted a site visit to a 12-acre parcel of land in Pioneer Estate, Kipkenyo Ward. This is part of the preparations for the construction of 1,508 housing units spanning 9 floors. The infrastructural enhancements will also include the construction of an ECDE centre and access roads,” the governor said in a statement.
Tenants evicted to pave the way for affordable housing
In addition, some of the locals who have been living in housing within the area earmarked for the affordable housing programme have been evicted.
At least 1,000 tenants within the Pioneer County estate have since been evicted.
However, those evicted have accused the county of doing the exercise inhumanely.
“It’s inhuman because we agreed that we are given time to have the children go to school then we move out by March but it seems no one cares,” said Naomi Tangwony, one of those evicted from the county houses.
Aside from the Affordable Housing Programme, the President is also expected to launch a Ksh100 million project at Kamagut Primary School in Turbo Constituency.
The project is courtesy of the M-Pesa Foundation.
Turbo Member of Parliament Janet Sitienei and Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Eng John Barorot on Wednesday visited the site for the project.
