Community/popular Sector In Housing Production In Kenya: An Overview Nachu

Abstract

Abstract The paper categorizes actors in housing production in Kenya into three sectors viz. the £ublic sector, the private enterprise sector and and community/popular sector. The basis for this categorization is the locus of power in the decisionmaking process which influences the nature/type of housing that is to be produced and thereby determines who can afford such housing. Thus for the housing that is produced within the public sector the locus of power is the state while the locus of power for housing produced within ,the private enterprise sector is the large scale private firms and consultants who are involved in the construction sector. For the commumty/popular sector the locus of power is the house owner who might or might not be the user. The paper underscores the importance of this sector in housing production in Kenya because of the large proportion of housing in Kenya that is produced through the sector. The paper further gives a catalogue of actors within the se~tor who are operating within both the rural and urban areas. It further examines the problems the sector faces and concludes that for the sector's viability in housing production to be enhanced there is need to create certain links between it and both the public and private enterprise sector. In creation of such links, the sector should not be expected to acquire major features of the public and private enterprise sectors. Rather, it should be for the other sectors to appreciate the major features of the community/popular sector since it is these very features which enable the sector to provide majority of Kenyans with housing.