NHC bags Sh8 billion for sale of Arusha plots

Arusha. The state-owned National Housing Corporation (NHC) has earned Sh7.9 billion from the sale of 589 plots under its ambitious Safari City project in Arusha.

The project was launched in 2016 to promote satellite towns around the fast-growing Arusha metropolis - hence reducing congestion within its central business district (CBD).

The corporation’s regional manager Ladislaus Bamanyisa revealed last week that a total of 589 plots worth Sh13 billion have been sold at the project’s site.

However, according to him, to-date only Sh7.982 billion have been collected from the sale, equivalent to 61 per cent of the expected revenue. He was briefing the deputy minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Ms Angelina Mabula, on the development of the project being implemented at Mateves area.

Plots earmarked for the residential quarters are being sold at Sh21,000 for each square metre and Sh27,000 for the commercial plots. The latter plots were earlier charged Sh45,000.

A total of 122 plots valued at Sh2 billion were sold during the 2019/2020 financial year, Mr Bamanyisa said, noting that so far Sh453 million had been collected.

Lately, however, the sale of the pots has gone down due to the biting economic hardships facing people despite reduction of the land price by 40 per cent.

The deputy minister urged NHC to extend loans to the public employees so that they can purchase the plots since they have mainly attracted buyers from the business people.

Ms Mabula, who was on an inspection tour of the project, also called for the upgrading of social services such as water supply, access roads and electricity to the project site.

The proposed ‘Safari City’ at Mateves on the south-western outskirts of Arusha will cover a total of 559.4 hectares of land, according to NHC officials.

The ‘city’ is intended to have amenities and social services including business malls, entertainment joints, medical services, schools and police and fire and rescue services.

It is among several satellite townships planned around a fast growing Arusha whose current human population is estimated to approach one million.