Laikipia County in partnership to build affordable houses
Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu (left) with a board member of Habitat for Humanity-Kenya soon after signing an MoU to partner in construction of decent houses for poor rural population. Beneficiaries of this project include widows, orphans and vulnerable children.
The Laikipia Government has partnered with a Non-Governmental Organisation to build decent houses for vulnerable groups and upgrading of educational infrastructure.
Habitat for Humanity-Kenya has been working in the county since 2016 where it has built houses for the underprivileged as well as building of classrooms in schools at a cost of more than Sh100 million fundraised from well-wishers.
Among the beneficiaries of this project are widows, orphans and learning institutions among them Mboombo Primary School in Ol Moran Ward where eight classrooms and Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) classrooms built last year.
Vulnerable population
On Tuesday, Governor Joshua Irungu signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NGO where the devolved unit will support housing projects for vulnerable population in rural areas.
“Being one of the top agendas of President Ruto (affordable housing), we shall work closely with Habitat for Humanity-Kenya. We shall mobilize resources and commit a budget for the project independently but work together on framework and implementation as well as on monitoring and evaluation of this joint project,” said Governor Irungu.
A total of 76 houses have been built free of charge for various individuals identified by committees established at the village level. While building the houses where locals are trained on interlocking blocks technology with soil-the main raw material in block making obtained locally.
A board member of Habitat for Humanity-Kenya who signed the MOU on behalf of the organization, Mr Koome Kiragu said tens of people including women have been trained as masons and have in the past few years been training others on the technology of replacing dilapidated mud houses with decent ones.
“We have done several housing projects in schools, donated computers and trained masons to build houses here in Laikipia. Today is the formalization of what we have been doing so that we can be able to partner better, in terms of resource mobilization and also accountability,” said Mr Kiragu after signing the MOU at the governor’s office.
Mr Irungu said the county would expand its cooperation to include provision of clean water for the community through solar power operated boreholes.
The governor later commissioned three classrooms built by the NGO at Naibor Primary School in Laikipia North Constituency.
