Low - income housing finance systems in Kenya: Lessons from Nairobi

Abstract

The UNCHS (HABITAT) goal of providing decent shelter for all by the year 2000, appears quite a high one, given the current trends of poor economic performances, especially in the developing world. It is only ten years to the target year, yet the problem of shelter is getting aggrevated by high density concentrations in our urban systems. These should be the priority areas, when tackling the shelter problem. This paper addresses the problem of housing in a typical developing country, where the urban spatial pattern is dominated by a metropolis - a primate city. It looks at the mobilization of a very crucial resource~s~ finance, - for housing development in respect to the urban poor families. Part one has looked at the models, and solutions approaches, to this problem, as they are applied in other parts of the world, especially· those with a similar economic, and political set up to Kenya. The research is undertaken in the institutions dealing with low-cost housing in N~irobi. A wide range of these are in policy formulationT ~-financing, technical fields and actual implementation. Some interviews have (vii) been carried in selected low~cost housing projects. The study tries to identify the major problems, inhibiting adequate provision of housinq. It is established that affordability is a function of many factors such as land, building materials, construction modes, price of money etc, which must be addressed in totality by the relevant authorities. My recommendations, are given as a guideline to policy formulations in ,various aspects of housing final ce for the urban low-income.