The 17-storey Pangani housing block, with a façade of baked clay, towers above neighbouring buildings. Here, 1,562 units are set to be ready by the end of 2022 as part of the government’s Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) launched in 2017.

Regent Management, a subsidiary of investment company Sovereign Group, will then move in with the role of facility management.

The Pangani project will have 128 one-bedroom houses, 248 two-bedroom houses and 576 three-bedroom units under AHP.

An additional 610 three-bedroom duplexes will sell at the market rate to help offset the subsidisation of the other 952.

“There is such a big need for affordable housing in the city,” says Regent director Noah Kulei. “If people can get value for money, then they pay and settle in.”

At least 967 people have already paid deposits for the houses, with 653 having signed sale agreements and gone on to remit installments, maybe drawn by the high quality of the construction and finishing.

The houses have vinyl flooring, granite on kitchen sinks and wood plastic composite material for doors, to name a few of the features.

After paying the 40 per cent deposit, the buyers will pay the rest of the money in monthly or quarterly installments over three years.

The one-bedroom house goes for Sh1 million, two-bedroom for Sh2.5 million and the three-bedroom unit costs Sh3 million. All of these are sold out.

The three-bedroom duplexes that used to be sold at Sh7.5 million, now go for Sh10 million due to high demand. Compared to neighbouring properties, the units are significantly underpriced.