Jevanjee Housing Project developer refutes claims of misuse of land title, confirms project progress
By Mary Wambui |
According to the developer, the project's progress is currently at 50 per cent with affordable housing units set to be complete by September 2025 and market units by September 2026.
A private developer behind the housing project in Ngara who has been accused of using a title deed belonging to public land to obtain a loan for its construction has denied the claims in a statement sent to newsrooms.
Jabavu Village Limited (JVL) further denied claims that the project was not on course.
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"Our attention has been drawn to information in the media that one of our projects; The Jevanjee Housing Estate in Ngara, Nairobi, has stalled and that we used a title deed belonging to the county government to get funding for the project. We would like to clarify to the general public that construction of the project is still on course despite initial delays caused by the acquisition of the land for construction, the Covid-19 pandemic and the sharp increase in steel prices following the Ukraine war," the firm said.
According to the developer, the project's progress is currently at 50 per cent with affordable housing units set to be complete by September 2025 and market units by September 2026.
"There will be two towers of 400 units each rising to 14 floors. The construction of the structures for towers three and four is complete with the roofing for tower three almost finalised. Towers 1 and 2 have been constructed up to the 9th floor," the statement added.
On who owns the land under which the project stands, Abdulkadir A. Hussein, the Managing Director responsible for the Jevanjee Gardens Project, said the land was originally owned by the Nairobi City Council but was legally transferred to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) created for the project: Nairobi Bachelors Jevanjee Estate Limited on July 25, 2019.
"Upon transfer to the SPV, Jabavu Village Ltd currently holds 80 per cent shares and the NCCG 20 per cent. The higher shareholding of Jabavu Village Ltd in the SPV is because we have invested funds in the development. According to the agreement, the county was to provide land while the firms were to source funds to invest in the project as part of the joint venture."
"Consequently, the firm approached a bank for a Sh1.9 billion facility to fund part of the project. Jabavu Village has so far drawn Sh450 million against work certificates issued by the contractor and supporting consultants," he said.
Last month, a section of Nairobi MCAs raised concerns that the project launched in 2018 had stalled and that the ownership of its title deed was in question.
"The affordable housing project is a key programme of the County Government that was launched in 2018 and whose progress has been quite slow with current reports indicating that both the Pangani and Jeevanjee projects have stalled. It's crucial to know whose names are on the title deeds," Ngara Ward MCA Chege Mwaura said.
As a result, the UDA legislator called on the Chairperson of the Sectoral Committee on Lands, Planning and Housing to investigate the situation and report to the house when the contracts for the Pangani and Jeevanjee projects were awarded and to which companies.
He also called for an explanation over their alleged stalling.
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