Kwangu Kwako

6.4 million people in urban Kenya live in informal settlements without adequate housing that supports personal safety, safe water access, proper sanitation, and human health. Most of the structures that house low-income Kenyans are made of wood, mud, and/or metal, which are vulnerable to theft and to destruction from fire. One in two Nairobi residents, for example, lacks access to clean running water. Only 40% of Nairobi is connected to a sewerage system. Quality of housing and related infrastructure is not the only challenge: total supply is insufficient as well. Kenya faces a housing shortage of 200,000 units per year, and only 2% of formally constructed structures target low-income families.

Kwangu Kwako Limited (KKL) builds safe, affordable concrete structures that include electricity in every unit, as well as running water and sanitation facilities that are either shared among a small number of units, or fully private. They build both residential units and classrooms. KKL structures typically replace metal and wood or mud shanties, or bare-bones school buildings that lack electricity and sanitation. The anticipated lifetime of KKL’s structures, with proper maintenance, is 20-30+ years. Maintenance costs are actually reported to be lower than for low-cost shanties.