An aerial view of Othaya town in Nyeri County on March 25, 2021. The opening of Kenyatta National Hospital annex in the town has increased demand for houses pushing the rent by over 30 per cent.
| Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media GroupNyeri
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Big infrastructure projects push up rent prices in Othaya
For four years, Shantelle Njeri, a resident of Othaya town in Nyeri County, paid Sh2,000 in rent for her single room. But earlier this year, she received a notice requiring her to pay an extra Sh1,500 for the accommodation.
"It came as a surprise. Although there has been an increase in demand for housing, I did not expect such a hike in Othaya," Njeri says.
But in her helplessness lies the joy and delight of others.
Property owners and developers are revelling in a boom that is redesigning Othaya thanks to an array of socio-economic factors.
Patrick Karanja, a landlord in the town, had been charging his tenants Sh7,000 for a two-bedroom apartment, which is now renting for between Sh10,000 and Sh12,000.
New residential buildings in Othaya town on March 25, 2021.
He had noticed a gradual appreciation of property prices in the neighbourhood, especially over the last five years.
To attract the new young population in the town, landlords in the area have also started upgrading their apartments.
Mr Karanja explains that he had to renovate his building to accommodate the growing population working at new business establishments and facilities.
“Unlike before, when building apartments in the town nowadays as a landlord you have to include a parking lot and fit wardrobes in the rooms to attract the new population,” he says.
The domino effect is felt much farther, but even in the face of such changes, pockets of active resistance remain.
This is the story of many residents of Othaya who have experienced rising rents in the past year.
The town is now transforming into a beehive of activity as proven by the new high-rises coming up. Living in the township is just as costly as renting a residence in Nyeri town, which is already a municipality.
“It all depends on the age of the building, as a new house will attract higher rents,” says Mr Karanja.
Workers package yogurt at Demka Daires in Othaya, Nyeri County on March 3, 2021.
Another major factor pulling people towards Othaya is that it is a “self-contained town”, meaning a town within or just outside major urban centres that has every facility found in bigger cities.
This means Othaya offers a similar lifestyle as the Nyeri CBD but at a lower cost
Such facilities include financial, health and educational institutions, supermarkets, golf courses and entertainment spots.
The opening of Othaya Level 6 Hospital, a branch of Kenyatta National Hospital, in late 2019 has seen health services improve.
The hospital, which serves nine counties, employs about 1,350 medics.
Construction of a campus of Kenya Medical Training College set to accommodate over 1,000 students in the town is also underway.
The town already hosts Othaya Teachers College, Othaya Youth Polytechnic, Mathenge Technical Training Institute and coffee and milk private processing plants.
Othaya MP Gichuki Mugambi said the constituency is expanding its sewerage system to meet the increasing demand for housing in the town.
Kenyatta National Hospital- Othaya Annex in Nyeri County on March 25, 2021. The facility has increased demand for houses in Othaya town pushing rent by over 30 per cent.
Last year, it was among eight constituencies in the country picked by the African Development Bank to benefit from fully funded expansions of their sewerage systems.
The first phase of the sewer project carried out in 2009, covered about 20km of the constituency.
The project, now in its third phase, will cover about 15km of the town and its outskirts.
“It will also include the establishment of treatment sites in Gachame and Thuti that will be used to recycle the waste to be used as fertiliser on farms,” Mr Mugambi says.
He says managing the area as a township has showcased its challenges, noting the increasing population.
“Despite needing an extension of the sewer system so badly in the town last year we were forced to go through the Nyeri Municipality to apply for funding for the project,” he says.
Elevating the town to a municipality will bring such essential services closer to the people. The town, he says, has been redesigned and expanded so that it can cover more areas to fit the new proposed status.
“It has been expanded so that it can cover all wards in Othaya. It extends to Kariki in Chinga ward, Thuguri in Iria-Ini ward, Gachami in Mahiga ward and Gatugi in Karima,” he says.
The three State road authorities are also in the constituency building and repairing roads constructed during President Mwai Kibaki’s tenure.
Sh5 billion
The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) is building about 20km of the town roads while the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra) is establishing around 60km of tarmac.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha), now building the old Mau roads in the region is repairing a 20km road passing through the constituency.
Cumulatively, the constituency has set aside Sh5 billion for resealing and recarpeting roads.
However, only 100km have been covered by the budget, although the constituency hopes to procure more funds for an additional 30km distance.
The construction of an improved road network has seen many landowners hold onto their plots awaiting the completion of the road construction in their areas so that they can hike prices.
