Chinese firm inks deal to build Sh12bn estate in Kisii

Chinese firm Boleyn Magic Wall Panel Ltd has signed a deal with the county government of Kisii for construction of a Sh12 billion estate to address the region’s housing shortage.

The project, to be known as New Kisii City, will comprise 2,000 homes, office blocks, shopping mall, conference hall, schools and a health centre.

Boleyn Magic Wall Panel Ltd has appointed Moke Gardens as its local partner for the project.

The Chinese firm will use precast panels to put up the buildings in a bid to lower construction costs and time.

The company plans to build a precast factory in the county to ease the implementation of the project.

The factory will require 20 acres of land while the New Kisii City will at the start take 50 acres of land to set up.

“We have laid the necessary ground ready for take-off in order to spur development. Working with the county assembly, we will avail land and any other support for the investor,” said Kisii governor James Ongwae.

Chinese firms are increasingly signing deals with county governments to build homes for their expanding workforce.

Last year, for example, Uasin Gishu county signed a Sh6 billion deal with Chinese Wiehai International Economic & Technical Corp for construction of modern high-rise residential buildings in Eldoret and rehabilitation of 3,000 houses owned by the county government.

A year earlier, Henan Guoji Development Corporation of China signed a deal with Kakamega county for construction of 9,000 low-cost homes to meet the rising demand for housing in the populous county.

Demand for housing in counties has soared over the past four years thanks to the devolved system of governance. This has seen counties moving to build high-density cities in major urban centres.

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