The construction of the Sh6 billion Buxton affordable housing project in Mombasa has officially begun. This is after officials conducted a brief ceremony to mark the beginning of the project after President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was set to break ground, skipped the ceremony due to itinerary overlap.
“We have started the project as promised. Already, the show house is complete and we are now moving forward,” said Mr Suleiman Shahbal, the project developer.
The project, which have been in the works since 2016, suffered a legal blow last October after 13 residents moved to Court to stop its inauguration, saying they were protected tenants who could not be evicted by the county government.
The residents filed a petition at the Environment and Land Court arguing that the project will lead to the current tenants losing their houses that will be demolished and those to be built will be sold to any willing buyer at commercial rates.
Overview of Buxton Project
However, in a ruling made by Justice Sila Munyao the petition was dismissed saying the county had given the applicants enough time to vacate and even volunteered to compensate them. Justice Munyao said there was no violation of the tenants’ rights in the way they were expected to move out – dismissing their claim of being protected tenants.
The Sh 6billion affordable housing project involves construction of 1,860 new apartments. The county government had entered into a partnership with businessman Suleiman Shahbal who won the tender to build the housing units. Mr Shahbal on his part said over 500 residents of Butxton estate will become home owners through mortgage and tenant purchase arrangements.
The county government has already began issuing a relocation allowance of Sh240,000 to the affected tenants. In addition, the developer has paid a Sh60,000 deposit for each family as commitment for buying the units. Under the scheme, a one bedroom house will be sold for Sh1.8 million, while a two bedroom unit will go for Sh3 million. Individuals seeking a four bedroom unit will be required to raise Sh4.2 million. There will also be bedsitters going for less than a million shillings. Phase one of the project will be completed in 12 months.
