Factors influencing the provision of affordable housing in Nakuru city, Kenya

Abstract

The primary driver of urbanization is housing, and access to decent, reasonably priced housing is crucial in all cultures. In Nakuru, as in most developing countries, there is a significant gap between supply and demand for housing. Similar to the majority of developing-nation cities, Nakuru has a housing shortage due to a high demand for houses. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing the provision of affordable housing in Nakuru City, Kenya. The study objectives were to establish how the building materials influence the provision of affordable housing; To examine how the cost of land influence the provision of affordable housing; To establish how the availability of land influences the provision of affordable housing; To find out how infrastructure development influences provision of affordable housing in Nakuru city, Kenya. The survey design used in the study was descriptive. The study's target population consisted of Nakuru City, Kenya's property development entities. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample size of 112 from the target population. The principal tool for gathering data was a questionnaire. At Narok Town, a pilot test was conducted to evaluate the reliability and validity of the findings. The replies were processed and tabulated using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) to enable grouping into different categories. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics like means, standard deviation, and frequency distribution. Regression analysis and inferential statistics were used to determine the degree to which the factors affect the availability of cheap housing solutions in Nakuru City, Kenya (r = 0.487; p < 0.05). The study indicated a moderate positive and statistically significant correlation between land cost and affordable housing provision in Nakuru City, Kenya (r = 0.507; p < 0.05). A moderate positive and statistically significant correlation existed between land availability and affordable housing provision (r = 0.571; p < 0.05). There was a moderate positive and statistically significant correlation between infrastructure development and the provision of affordable housing (r = 0.563; p < 0.05).According to these findings, there was an 80.2% influence from the four independent variables—building materials, land avail ability, landcost, and infrastructure development—on the supply of affordable housing in Nakuru city. The study recommends that housing companies seek alternative building materials, land pricing should be regulated to ensure more land is acquired, and the availability of land should be made more accessible by digitalizing land acquisition procedures. Finally, the study recommends that the government develop more infrastructures to attract more investors to housing units in Nakuru City, Kenya. Moreover, there is a need to study green building technology to overcome the problem of land cost and availability, considering the high population in need of affordable housing in Nakuru and other cities in Kenya.