A section of the civil servants' houses under construction at Shauri Moyo estate in Kisumu. [Photo|hivisasa.com]
The National Civil Servants Housing Scheme management committee has been urged to review the prices of houses developed for purchase by civil servants at Shauri Moyo estate in Kisumu.
This is to enable more government workers from the area to benefit.
Kisumu Kenya National Union of Civil Servants Secretary General David Oluoch said the units were overpriced.
This he said, made it impossible for civil servants working in Kisumu to afford.
He took issue with the criteria used to value the houses saying the rates were higher than those for similar projects in Nairobi.
This, he said was against the spirit of the scheme established in 2004 to enhance access to affordable decent housing for civil servants across the country.
Speaking during a sensitization meeting organized by the Civil servants housing scheme in Kisumu on Wednesday, Oluoch stated that the exorbitant prices kept civil servants off the project.
The government spent Sh 730 million to put up the 250 units whose construction began in 2015 and was set to be completed in January this year.
Out of the 250 units, 210 are for sale at Sh. 2.7 million (one bedroom), Sh4.3 million (two bedrooms) and Sh6.1 million (three bedrooms) while the remaining 40 units shall be rented with priority being given to civil servants who were moved to pave way for the construction of the new units.
The houses were first advertised for sale in February this year however due to poor applications, they were re-advertised in June.
Oluoch urged the valuer to re-consider the location of the houses and current market prices adding that the scheme management committee should slightly adjust the figures down to allow civil servants from the area to purchase the units.
He observed that some houses were still available for sale urging civil servants from the area to apply.
Other counties earmarked for the project include Nyeri, Garissa, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kakamega, Murang’a, Kisii and Meru whose drawings have already been approved.