Planned upgrade of Pangani estate starts next month: Sonko

The long-awaited redevelopment of Nairobi’s Pangani estate will finally begin next month, Governor Mike Sonko has said.

The governor said President Uhuru Kenyatta would officially launch the project, which would take eight months to complete.

“We held meetings with Pangani tenants on Thursday and Friday and 80 per cent of them are in support of the development which will begin next month,” Mr Sonko said on Saturday during the Mashujaa Day celebrations at Pumwani Secondary School grounds.

The governor said the county would compensate tenants for the duration of the project.

He added that the county had signed an agreement with the project’s developer — Tecnofin — that tenants would be given first priority after completion.

“We will give you money to look for a place to stay while the project is ongoing, as we respect the rule of law and we know that most of you have stayed there for over 30 years.

“We have talked to the investor and the first priority will be given to the current tenants, who will be paying the same rent as they are currently doing,” Mr Sonko said.

The county boss said the urban renewal housing project was part of the first phase of City Hall’s urban regeneration programme that targets between 10,000 and 12,000 housing units aimed at providing decent and affordable housing to Nairobi residents.

“We have already called for Expressions of Interest for phase two, and other phases will follow immediately thereafter. In total, we plan to deliver about 200,000 units as Nairobi County government,” he said.