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Thika Police Finally Move Into Their New Housing Units, 4 years Down The Line.


Regional Police Coordinator Larry king King Kieng (2nd right), his Kiambu counterpart James Mugera (Centre) and Thika OCPD Eraustus Muthamia inspecting the new housing unit at Thika Police.
The government is determined to mitigate the country’s infrastructure deficit and housing shortage in particular affecting police officers, within the short and medium term.

This was revealed by the Mt. Kenya Regional Police Coordinator Mr. Larry King Kieng while commissioning 12 newly built housing units for police officers in Thika Police Station on Wednesday. 

Kieng added that the houses were part of the 20,000 housing units being constructed throughout the country in its continued effort to improving the standard of living of all police officers in the country, irrespective of their rank or status.

“The government has recognised the fact that lack of housing has been one of the challenges faced by police officers and their families all over the country. It is only with the aggression of the government that acute housing shortage of the police can be tackled and with the completion of this kind of houses will go a long way in improving the standard of living of our police officers,” said Kieng.

He explained the flat comprised of 12 units of 2-bedroom houses each and even though they were not enough to serve all those officers who were in need, those concerned should appreciate the government’s gesture as they were better than none.

Though he came short of disclosing the cost of units, Kieng declared that each flat would be given out to the officers pointing out that similar estates were currently being built in other parts of the country including another one in Kikuyu Police Station.
  
He encouraged the police to continue to reciprocate the government’s gesture by serving the community diligently and cautioned them against mishandling the facility.

He thanked the contractors for heeding to the call to complete the houses in time and for their patience due to some of the challenges that the project had faced.

This housing unit was started in 2011 and completed the following year, has had to bear with several teething problems that prevented its occupation till this time. No officer had been allowed into the facility as the main contractor first insisted on the clearance of his dues before releasing the keys. Notwithstanding, the water tanks meant to serve these units had also not yet been installed.

The contractor was also forced to adjust the original design due to the situation of the ground which happened to be swampy.

Speaking during the same function, Kiambu Police Coordinator James Mugera and Thika OCPD Erastus Muthamia admitted that the police officers have been struggling with the shortage of staff accommodation for many years, and that efforts by government to accommodate them were recommendable as they were aimed at motivating staff to work harder.

Muthamia disclosed that the housing units would be made available for different cadres of his officers with all due fairness and called on those who will miss out, to bear with the situation.

“These houses will go a long way in tackling the housing problems within this station. They are going to ensure my officers live in a favourable condition and enjoy some privacy. However, they are not enough to solve all our housing shortages but they are better than none at all. I will ensure that there is equitable distribution and only officers serving this station will benefit,” said Mr. Muthamia.

The contractor is mandated by the law to maintain the building and repair all defects cost-free for the next 6 months. A commission of 5% of the total cost of the building is usually withheld by the client, who in this case is the police headquarters, to be used in the repairs.

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