- Abigail Chepkemboi, a student at Eldoret National Polytechnic, has secured an affordable housing unit under the Boma Yangu project
- The 21-year-old electrical engineering student worked construction jobs on weekends and after classes while quietly saving money
- Abigail paid a KSh 32,000 deposit for her own unit on the 12th floor, and now pays KSh 3,800 in monthly rent
A 21-year-old polytechnic student has become one of the youngest Kenyans to secure a home under the government's Boma Yangu affordable housing initiative.
Source: Facebook
After paying her own deposit from money she earned on construction sites while still in school, she now owns a bedsitter unit at the Pioneer Affordable Housing Project in Eldoret.
From Scaffolding to Homeowner
Abigail Chepkemboi, a second-year electrical engineering student at Eldoret National Polytechnic, was interviewed on stage during the live commissioning event in Eldoret.
She told the crowd how she went from a casual attachment at the housing project to a fully registered homeowner.
Chepkemboi's path to homeownership started when she joined the Boma Yangu construction site as an attachment student, gaining hands-on experience in scaffolding and tiling.
She became so invested that she stayed on beyond her attachment, showing up on weekends and after lectures to earn an income.
Her parents, unaware of where she was spending her time, reportedly grew worried, believing she had simply disappeared from her studies.
She later transitioned from scaffolding to sandpaper work and eventually picked up electrical installation jobs after fellow workers on site discovered she was studying electrical engineering.
Chepkemboi recalled carrying 40-kilogram loads up nine flights of stairs during the early phases of construction, describing it matter-of-factly rather than as a hardship.
When she learned that a small number of bed-sitter units were still available within the project, she moved quickly.
Commissioned With Applause
Within three days of visiting the housing office to enquire, she had made her payment and secured a unit.
Chepkemboi paid a deposit of KSh 32,000 and will pay KSh 3,800 every month. Her unit is Room 10 on the 12th floor, registered in her own name.
At the event, she was handed her keys in front of a large crowd that included fellow construction workers in hard hats and reflective vests.
She told the crowd she still plans to return to school to complete her exams, and that she had already lined up a hostel for the upcoming term while keeping her new home.
Watch Abigail Chepkemboi receive her keys at the Eldoret Boma Yangu commissioning:
Ruto Commissioned Pioneer Housing Project
Chepkemboi received her house keys alongside 2,157 other beneficiaries during a commissioning event attended by President William Ruto.
The KSh 5.3 billion development includes a swimming pool, clubhouse, kindergarten, 104 shops, and open green spaces.
It is part of a wider rollout of over 300,000 units being constructed across Kenya, including additional developments in Washingtoni County's railway area, Kidiwa, and Lumumba.
Ruto disclosed that KSh 264 million went to 84 Jua Kali associations in Eldoret through opportunities linked to the project.
Source: TUKO.co.ke