Strategic Approaches and Delivery of Affordable Housing in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Affordable housing system is a word used in Kenya to refer to that part of society whose revenue is below the average revenue of the family. Affordable housing becomes a main problem particularly in developing countries where it is not possible for a majority of the population to purchase homes at market price. Most individuals around the world live in towns and 1 billion live in slums, which will double by 2030. Urban populations are increasing at a pace that is much quicker than they can be consumed and managed, resulting in requirements on services and infrastructure that exceed supply. This leaves most inhabitants in many emerging market towns with few choices but living in slums. Increasing access to affordable housing of high quality has a deep effect on the person as well as on society as a whole. However, housing is a difficult and capital-intensive industry characterized by delays and regulatory problems, resulting in it rarely gaining the spotlight on impact investors and social entrepreneurs. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the influence the strategic approaches adopted by the government in delivering affordable housing in Kenya with specific focus on Nairobi County. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the influence of modern construction technologies, innovative housing financing, collaborative approach and legal and regulatory reforms in delivering affordable housing in Kenya with specific focus on Nairobi County. The research was anchored on the theory of monopoly rivalry, regulatory theory and the model of cooperative strategy. The research also demonstrated a conceptual framework for the connection between the factors. Descriptive research design was used in the study. For this research, the target population was officers in the county government concerned with a total of 106 homes. Stratified random sampling and simple random sampling methods were utilized in selecting a sample size of 64, which represented 60 percent of the entire research population. Research used primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to officers by drop-down and later by selecting technique. Using SPSS (version 21), data gathered was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that the use of modern construction technologies greatly influenced the delivery of affordable housing. The study also revealed that the innovative housing financing influenced the delivery of affordable housing to great extent. The study further found that the collaborative approaches had influenced the delivery of affordable housing by the government to a great extent. Based on the findings the study recommended that the government sensitize the developers to fully adopt modern technologies in construction of the houses, so as to reduce the costs of the houses. Additionally, the study recommended that the government come up with innovative financing such as allowing the access of pension benefits by individuals to help in financing the ownership of houses. The study also recommended that the government seek more collaborative opportunities such as through public private partnerships to help in realizing the goal of delivering affordable housing especially to the low income earners.