Everybody wants to own a house in the depressive city of Nairobi. The only problem is that it costs money, and everybody does not have money. How then can one make it work?
If you earn KShs 20,000 per month in Nairobi, there is a sure way to be a property owner in Nairobi. It requires a little creativity, though, and there are several means to arrive to that end. Here are the hows.
Go to the outskirts of a Satellite town
Every poor person who needs to own home must find land where it is cheap. This means that you find those satellite towns, then make a day’s journey from the town in the direction away from the capital. This is where land selling companies have camped. You will end up buying land some 30 minutes away from Ngong, at an affordable price of KShs 180,000. Construction of houses in these areas is also affordable, so you will get a functional house for the same amount of money. Very possible.
What they do not tell you is that the 30 minutes is if you are using a fighter jet, hence the land is somewhere in South Sudan. If you bought the land in Kamulu, 30 minutes from JKIA, the land will be located somewhere in Ras Kamboni.
Wait for the Bubble to Burst
The reason why you cannot afford a home is because real estate in Nairobi is a bubble that is very inflated just to keep you homeless. The Somalis have brought in the piracy dollars, and the connected people have brought in the shillings from government tenders.
Like all other people with money and no sense, they end up investing in real estate, and buying off all houses they find. This makes it hard for a law abiding you to own a home.
Luckily, the laws of economics cannot be overly corrupted. The time for the bubble to burst is near. So, sit back, relax, and wait. Your meager income will soon afford you a decent home once the bubble bursts.
Wait for a Civil War
A civil war has the power to reset prices because while the very rich will be funding the war to their advantage, the not very rich will be running away and the poor like you will have an opportunity to grab what is left behind. This has previously happened during post-election violence and people in Kisumu got free shopping and those in Rift Valley got free land. It will be the time for you to get a flat in Kilimani.
Start an Informal Settlement
There is a huge market gap for informal settlement, especially near the places where the middle-class guys are buying land and building houses? Where shall their gardeners and house helps come from?
All you need to do is to identify an uninhabited valley or any public land that is in disuse. Build several shanties, where you will live in one and rent out the others. Once more people come in, you can even offer schools, shops and a market. You will be the big kahuna in the new slums.
You could even go ahead and start an NGO to solve humanitarian challenges affecting people living in your slum. It is a system of infinite wins.
Move in with Someone
Since your problem is money, cutting costs can be the first step towards home ownership. How about you move in and live with somebody who already owns a house? Better still if the person is willing to marry or get married to you.
Or Just be Realistic
With a salary of Kshs 20,000 a month, you can choose to be realistic and know that you are just a pawn that will eventually be ran over by the giant wheel of capitalism. Your fate is sealed, and you will never own a home.
