Kenya ends lift imports for affordable housing as Ruto hands over 2,157 Eldoret homes
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President William Ruto says the government will stop importing lifts for the Affordable Housing Programme after securing seven local manufacturers, speaking at the handover of the Sh5.37 billion Pioneer project in Eldoret.
The government will no longer import lifts for the Affordable Housing Programme, President William Ruto has announced, as the administration moves to strengthen local manufacturing. Speaking during the handover of 2,157 homes at the Pioneer Affordable Housing Project in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, on Sunday, he said seven manufacturers had been secured to produce lifts in Kenya, making the equipment used at the estate among the last to be imported.
According to the President, imported lifts account for only 3 per cent of the items used in the project, and the shift to local production would create opportunities for local industries while reducing reliance on imported building equipment. "From now, local manufacturers will make the lifts in Kenya," he said.
The Sh5.37 billion project comprises 15 apartment blocks, 104 shops and 2,157 residential units split across 552 social housing units, 1,065 affordable homes ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments, and 540 market-rate units. It also features a kindergarten, playgrounds, green open spaces, a clubhouse, a swimming pool, two basketball courts and a football pitch.
Ruto said the development demonstrated the government's commitment to making homeownership possible for ordinary Kenyans, particularly young people and low-income earners. "We are selling a lifestyle. The estate comes with Wi-Fi to enable the occupants to work from home. The swimming pool, gym, basketball courts and football pitch will help residents keep fit and healthy," he said, dismissing criticism of the programme. "For those who thought this was a prank, for the many people who thought this would never happen, this is the evidence. I assure you no one is going to stop the affordable housing project."
Among the beneficiaries are Abigail Chepkemoi and Albert Ipolo, students at Eldoret National Polytechnic. Chepkemoi, 21, worked at the construction site, saved her earnings and made a deposit for her home, and says she is preparing to move out of her hostel into her own house. The project has also created business for local enterprises, including Jua Kali artisans, food vendors and construction material suppliers.