Resolution… Housing…

Resolutions…

Wah! It feels like visiting upcountry, ushago, after a whole year… It has been long since I put up a post. One of my resolutions though is to create some time off my increasingly busy schedule to write something since writing somewhat keeps my mind clear off some things. Well, I hope your 2009 is taking the shape you desire to. 

So 2008 ended. A lot happened in the year I shall be referring to as ‘that year’ for the rest of my life. We witnessed several historic moments that so far everyone knows…including Osama Bin Laden there in his bunker… (Doesn’t he feel the heat? Damn, even Nairobi is way too hot!) Generally, a lot that made us proud and believe was realized… 

On a personal note however, it was not such a good year. I made some life changing decisions and mistakes that I am not exactly proud of. I was basically a troubled character and I honestly regret some choices and stuff I did back then but hey… I have gathered over time that we learn from mistakes… sometimes we make that mistake just so we can learn from it… So, 2009, I am and will continue being a better person. I hope you be good too… and learn to stick to your resolutions too (If you have any)… I have chosen to be more in touch with my spiritual side, to eliminate Alcohol from my system and manage finances in a better way… (Its crunch time anyway… J )  ***************

Housing Costs…

 

Has anyone realized how ridiculous the cost of housing is becoming in Nairobi? I stay in a certain neighborhood within South B. When I was moving there, a one bed roomed unit was going for between Ksh. 10,000 and 12,000; this was not so long ago… roughly two years ago, I now pay Ksh. 17,000 for my ridiculously small one bed roomed unit. I have seen open spaces replaced with some beautiful apartments… seen neighbors come and go but never like it has been in the last two to three months. Recently some apartments adjacent to the ones I live in were available for occupancy… With a friend who was house hunting, we passed by to view and make inquiries about the rent only to get shocked. A one bed roomed apartment, which can hardly accommodate a 6 sitter sofa set going for Ksh. 20,000 per month!!! That’s when I realized that many of the people that I have been neighbors with have literary taken off to cheaper housing neighborhoods. I have just handed in my notice; I have to get myself a reasonably costed place. Many people are literary working for rent. I actually know of a pal who pays Ksh. 21,000 for a bed sitter somewhere in Westlands…

Housing and real estate is for sure a high return business but some regulations need to be made. Do we have a Housing Ministry??????????????? A whole Ministry, with a Minister, an Assistant Minister, a Permanent Secretary… Several Undersecretaries and other Policy Makers… What have they done since they got themselves the jobs????  

Do they even have a job description???? Do they even conduct research??? Do they hold even Board Meetings or something like that to see what they can do about the housing honestly?

The few times I have seen Hon. Soita Shitanda on the news it has been something to do with some Tax Evasion story, a bull fighting venture (with his pal Khalwale) or some PNU is not being fair to New Ford Kenya ish.

And what is the government doing about this… National Housing Corporation (NHC) iko? What about the cabinet??? Is discussing the ECK and Waki stuff more important that a roof over a Kenyans’ head??? We must really have angered The Guy Upstairs to deserve the kind of ‘Leaders’ we have.

 

Then again, maybe it’s just me… Let me hand in my notice, and endeavor to get myself a reasonable cost place to live somewhere in the outskirts… You know a place?