A section of residents living in the Mariguini informal settlement in Nairobi South have called on President William Ruto to hasten the Slum Upgrading Program expected in the area.
Speaking during a site visit at the ongoing Mukuru Social Housing project on Monday, the residents expressed confidence that the new houses will be completed as soon as possible so that they can relocate.
“We want the houses to be built fast so that we can move in even if it is by December for us to live a decent life,” one of the residents said.
“Majority of residents whose houses were demolished are spending the nights out in the cold. That is why we want the building of the houses expedited,” another resident said.
Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege expressed satisfaction with the construction designs and standards saying it will provide reprieve to area residents who are living in deplorable conditions.
“Where these people live have no toilets or are forced to pay to use those available, we are happy that the bedsitters available are self-contained,’’ Chege said.
“Because we are fully committed to this project, let the government expedite it so that Mariguini residents get houses as soon as possible so that when the President comes to ask votes for re-election, they will vote for him,” she added.
The director of slum upgrading in the State Department of Housing Mary Wanjiku assured them that the houses will be ready in the next two years.
“The residents are going to benefit and enjoy what they have seen here so living in these poor conditions will be a thing of the past. We are promising that in the next two years, the community will move into their new houses,” Wanjiku assured the residents.
The site tour, which marked the climax of the public participation exercise with regards to the Mariguini Slum Upgrading Project has seen officials from the State Department for Housing and Urban Planning express their plans to kick start construction.
