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propertymanagementkisumu · 3 years ago

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How much does it cost to build a four bedroom house in Kisumu?

Generally speaking, for one to answer this question of How much does it cost to build a four bedroom house in Kisumu, you need to understand the location where the apartment will be situated and classify it. In real estate, areas or locations are classified as high income earners, middle income earners and low income areas earners.

Every city, town or county will have areas occupied by high income earners, middle income earners and low income earners. For example, in Nairobi, high income earners areas include hurlingham, Kileleshwa, etc while Kisumu you can talk of Milimani.

Middle income earners in Nairobi will include Umoja, Kitengela, Ngong, Kikuyu, etc while in Kisumu, you can talk of Polyview, Tom Mboya, Kisumu re, Lolwe, etc.

Low income earners in Nairobi will include Kayole, Ruai or for Kisumu you will talk of Manyatta. So you need to identify your area well to understand what type of people will occupy your apartment and their expectation.

Secondly, to address the question of How much does it cost to build a four bedroom house in Kisumu, you need to understand the expected sizes of the units for different class. High income earners area requires more spacious spacing. The cost of construction per square metre is estimated at a minimum of Ksh.50, 000. The minimum size of a two bedroom is 100 m2.

Middle income earners areas will not require a lot of space like high income earners. A one bedroom apartment in Kisumu will require a minimum area of 60m2 while a one bedroom apartment in Kisumu will require a minimum area of 35m2. The construction cost per unit in this area is approximately Ksh.35, 000 per square metre.

Low income earners areas will require a room or double room. A double room size will in most cases be around 25m2. The construction cost per unit in this area is approximately Ksh.25, 000 per square metre.

So with this information in mind, How much does it cost to build a four bedroom house in Kisumu? Without going into material schedule, you can estimate the cost of unit of an apartment and then determine the cost of the apartment by simply multiplying the cost of a single unit by the number of units in the said apartment. Take a look at this example;

Suppose you want to build apartment comprising of 10 units of two bedrooms in a high income area, what is your projected construction cost?

HOUSE PLANS IN KENYA

3 Bedroom Maisonette Building Plan in Kenya

4 Bedroom Bungalow House Plan

4 Bedroom Flat Roof Design

Apartment plan for 1 and 2 Bedroom units

Apartment Plans for 2 Bedrooms with swimming pool

Four Bedroom house plan with 3 ensuite Bedrooms

In high income earners area, the minimum size of a two bedroom is 100m2 and the cost of 1 square metre is Ksh.50, 000. So the cost of constructing a two bedroom unit will be approximately Ksh5M. Therefore, to construct a 10 units two bedrooms apartment in high income earners area will approximately cost you Ksh.50M.

In middle income earners area, the minimum size of a two bedroom is 60m2 and the cost of 1 square metre is Ksh.35, 000. So the cost of constructing a two bedroom unit will be approximately Ksh2.1M. Therefore, to construct a 10 units two bedrooms apartment in middle income earners area will approximately cost you Ksh.21M.

In low income earners area, the minimum size of a one bedroom is 35m2 and the cost of 1 square metre is Ksh.25, 000. So the cost of constructing a one bedroom unit will be approximately Ksh0.875M. Therefore, to construct a 10 units’ one bedroom apartment in middle income earners area will approximately cost you Ksh.8.75M.

This should help you plan for you apartment project well. Finally, when it comes to apartment projects, there are certain professional fees which you must be prepared for. These include;

Professional fees are constant and are set by the Kenyan Laws.

Chapter 525 of the laws of Kenya guide Architectural and Quantity Surveying Services.

Chapter 530 of the Laws of Kenya guide Structural, Civil, Mechanical and Electrical services.

Architectural fees are charged at 6% of the total cost of construction.

Quantity Surveying fees are at 3% of the total cost of construction.

Engineering fees vary between 1.5% to 3% depending on the complexity of involvement.

The construction cost estimates include labor, materials and professional fees.

The actual cost of construction is derived from the actual agreement that the land owner has with a building contractor. This amount varies from contractor to contractor depending on several factors.

Example

6 units on 0.5 acre plot in Umoja, Nairobi county.

The best target for this region is the Middle income earning class.

Therefore, the 6 units will cost 6 units x 60m2 x KES 35,000=KES 12,600,000.00.

The Architectural fees for full service from design until construction supervision to completion will be 6% x KES 12,600,000=KES 756,000.

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alphagatereal · 3 years ago

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emunenen · 4 years ago

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Makao Bora

New Post has been published on https://wp.me/paK8na-3WL

Area Code - Kaloleni Estate, Nairobi

In Nairobi, the reek of exhaust fumes permeates the air. Despite the green presence of majestic Cape Chestnuts, spreading fig trees and ancient liana vines, a thick white haze hangs around the city, following the major roads like a poisonous ghost. After a few days in the city, one quickly becomes accustomed to sitting in traffic with the windows rolled up and air conditioning on, even on the most glorious mornings. Here, that has as much to do with ‘snatchers’ strolling alongside the traffic jams as it does with air pollution.

But tucked behind the City Stadium, just east of busy Lusaka Road, is a quiet escape from the bustle of Nairobi. Set against an urban backdrop of informal settlements and midrise apartments, Kaloleni is a neighborhood in the most old-fashioned sense of the word.

Based on Clarence Perry’s famous Neighborhood Unit, Kaloleni was originally designed in 1927 (while Kenya was still under British colonial rule), to house 3000 bachelors in single-dwellings and duplexes. According to Professor Peter Makachia of the University of Nairobi, the estate was developed following the recommendations of Sir Charles Mortimer, who chaired the African Housing Committee (AHC). When they were finally completed in 1948, these bungalows were gifted to African soldiers who fought for the British army in WWII. As bachelor accommodations, the houses were appropriately small, with an entry space leading directly into a tiny kitchen and, with a turn, into the main living space. Directly through the living room is a bedroom just wide enough to accommodate a single-bed and small desk. As these bachelors quickly became family men, many residents added lean-tos and sheds to the back of their houses. Even today, the streetscape is exactly the same as its original design, while extensions on the back provide more space for growing families. Because of the heavy materials used in their construction, these homes are well-insulated and comfortable—worlds away from the corrugated steel shanties that characterize most of Nairobi’s low-cost housing stock. Not unsurprisingly, these covetable houses have been passed down from generation to generation, giving this community an unbreakable sense of continuity—and ownership.

Kaloleni was built between 1945-48 by Italian prisoners of war. Although the designs had been around for some time, the Second World War stifled urban development in Nairobi. After the war came to an end, the POWs used imported materials, including roof tiles from India and large red bricks, to construct the well-crafted homes. If you squint, Kaloleni looks exactly the same as it did seventy years ago. And in a city where urban development is almost completely unregulated, that is a huge achievement. This preservation speaks to the planners’ well-thought out design, but equally to the residents’ perception that this neighborhood is something worth preserving.

Historical figures such as nationalist leader Tom Mboya, former Ugandan President Milton Obote and Charles Rubia, the first African mayor of Nairobi, once lived in this neighborhood. Residents recall various historical moments with a mixture of pride and nostalgia: Queen Elizabeth of England opened a clinic in Kaloleni in 1952, and Senator Robert Kennedy gave a speech here in 1969. The community hall was originally used as a center of the independence movement, and later as Kenya’s first parliament building. The anecdotes are endless, and point to Kaloleni’s rich—and largely unknown—cultural history. It’s a history that lives on almost solely in the memories of the residents.

At 17:00, the dusty roads in this Garden City are suddenly filled with workers moving through Kaloleni on their way home from the industrial areas south of Kaloleni. These roads haven’t been paved since 1948, and the crumbling asphalt is testament to the municipal government’s lack of interest in this area. Despite public water lines running into Kaloleni, the neighborhood hasn’t had running water for years. Residents are forced to buy their water from private vendors at a huge markup. There are grumbles that this is all political maneuvering to encourage residents to leave and make room for redevelopment, but like many stories in Nairobi, this is almost impossible to verify. In any case, “no water!” is a general refrain in Kaloleni. Even the local dispensary and clinic don’t have running water. Good hygiene, as one might imagine, becomes more challenging under such conditions.

Until the 1980s, Kaloleni had a nursery school, bakery, post office, grocery shop, butcher, and lively cafés famous for their local brews. Today, most of those facilities have been reclaimed as sports bars, giving the area an overabundance of alcoholic options and a lack of other public amenities. Unemployment is rampant and bored teenagers often turn to petty crime.

As one of the least dense areas of Nairobi, Kaloleni is also vulnerable to the pressures of the booming real estate market. The Chinese have recently expressed interest in redeveloping this area and unknown to the Kaloleni Residents’ Association, the tribal chief has recently sold off an entire soccer field—part of the development’s original plan—to private developers.

Known locally as “The Chairman”, an impressive figure known for turning around Kaloleni’s overcrowded primary schools and for refusing to take bribes—wants to show us this abomination in person. As we walk toward the former football fields at the southern edge of the development, his face moves ever deeper into a frown. “What’s this? What’s this? None of this was here a week ago!” he thunders as a silvery shantytown comes into view. Apartments are quickly rising on the former playing field, and in the foreground, corrugated shacks are inching ever closer to the original brick houses. The Chairman turns a shade darker and glowers at some unfamiliar children hovering behind a corrugated door. His greatest wish, echoed by other members of the Residents’ Association, is to have Kaloleni listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site. For many reasons, they see this as the only viable way to preserve the Garden City structure for their children.

For INTI, as a research institute specialized in planned towns and cities, it’s easy to wax poetic about this special place, but the residents’ love for Kaloleni is palpable. They want to stay here, but they want it to be better. They want running water and paved roads and enough space for growing families. They want to feel safe at night, which means working streetlights and maybe a night guard or two. They want to preserve the Garden City structure of Kaloleni that they intuitively know to be precious. They want the tribal chief to stop selling off land, and they want the shantytowns to stop creeping in. For westerners, who often see the romance in informal settlements and bottom-up initiatives, it is eye-opening to see the long term effects of good master planning—a topic that has become increasingly unpopular in recent years. Kaloleni, though dilapidated and poorly-maintained, is still one of the most popular neighborhoods in Nairobi. It’s also one of the most likely to be lost as Nairobi hurtles towards a more heavily urbanized future.

Read original article on NTI

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onlinefriednoodles · 5 years ago

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Pursuit in Mobility - Reviews and Comparisons of selected Architectural Exhibition

*This is a course assignment (´・ω・`)

2. Mobility

2.1 Emblem of Freedom

A house in general, is a covered structure on a piece of given land. Under such definition, how can human pursue the maximum freedom in the given space? The project in Weissenhof Estate, Stuttgart was one of the possible answer given by Le Corbusier, by adapting the new construction technologies. Mobility could be seen everywhere in this specific project: in the sketches of “four compositions”, the no.3 described as “Cubic composition” was the “House in Stuttgart”. [Fig.1] One can observe clearly that the spatial quality was already more mobile than other sketches, for that the sketch has strong emphasis on the pilotis and the free spaces around the central closed hatch, even more obvious than the sketch below indicated the later and more famous Villa Savoye.

Fig.1 Le Corbusier: Four Compositions

And it is “à propos of the Werkbund exhibition in Stuttgart that Le Corbusier formulated his ‘Five Points of a New Architecture’.”[1] The concept of lifting up the building has distinctly influenced from cars. “A house like a car”, the radical and enthusiastic man “defined the type-elements of a house”.[2] The most critical pilotis are exactly playing the same character as tires of vehicles, the key element that frees the house from the fixed ground. Flat roofs, ribbon windows… All these typical elements that construct a car, then had been introduced into housing. He went so far that some criticism described the house as “a nomadic tent of concrete and glass.”[3]

Mobility at that time, conceivably, meant the more changeable and non-restricted boundary of spaces and unblocked connections within the give sites. From the technical drawings for the houses [Fig.2 and Fig.3], it is lucid that unlike in the traditional houses with tight and thick divisions of rooms, people were welcome to move inside the house as they wish, just as moving from one carriage to another during a journey on the train. However, ironically, the long and linear 70-cm-wide corridor in the paired house, “of the same width as the corridor in every railroad car in the world”, caused so much inconvenience in practical use. “In practice, this ‘emergency corridor’ was hardly ever used.”[4] The master architect put so much attention to a perfect visual quality to achieve Mobility as that in cars, and somehow in a way, lost his well-known principles of a comfortable human scale in details. But his manifesto of the Five Points did become an Emblem of Freedom in architectural world and soon has been regarded part of the principles to define an architecture as modern or not.

Fig.2 & 3: Le Corbusier: Drawings of HOUSE 13, 14, 15

2.2 Integrated in the House

Perhaps because of a main background of industrial design, despite the tentative plan of making 1-to-1-scale exhibitions, at the outset the committee of House Vision had never thought to make permanent projects as Stuttgart. Even the latest House Vision 3 in Beijing turned to make more realistic and generally more house-like models, the whole series of exhibitions are more like a large installation expo. The House Vision 1 in Tokyo, was “imagined as an open space of approximately 15,000 square meters…an event venue with a roof”, with the theme of “Build Houses in New Common Senses”.

“It is the ‘House’ that House Vision wants to present, but concentration on displaying the interior rather than architectures for competing appearance.”[5]

No wonder that the whole venue arranged by Kengo Kuma was just like an ultra-transparent factory, with single level pavilions simply constructed using relatively thin square steels, all completed in two weeks. [Fig.4] But coincidentally, the open pavilions became a great opportunity of showing a house with a new definition of Mobility, and similarly the car again got its central spot in the design concept. Honda is the world’s largest motorbike maker all the time from 1959, and well-known for its empire of vehicles and robotics. The company has developed a complete product line of light-weight mechanical assistants for close range movement, even the very short and frequent movements indoor. Collaborating with Sou Fujimoto, they tried to integrate the whole system into the pavilion and make “the movement tools as part of the house”.[6]

Fig.4 HARA Kenya: Layout of HOUSE VISION 1

The design team elucidated their disagreement of making the house “a shelter that separate interior from exterior, individual from the public.”[7] The pure white pavilion had three layers of the convex roof with same angle of slope, indicating 3 layers of spaces: the interior, the semi-interior and the exterior.[Fig.5] Correspondingly the interior programs were fairly simple: a bedroom, a bathroom, an open kitchen with long dining table, and the surrounding and continue corridor-like spaces for gardening and relaxation. [Fig.6] The light-weight vehicles were scattered all over the house, instructing the recommended situations of usage, for instance the UNI-CUB was parking quietly near the dining table as part of the chairs, revealing the possible scene that resident can use it to move to the table and remain seated to have meals. [Fig.7] Green is the most eye-catching bright color in this project: large panels of plant walls were used to define rooms rather than fixed closed walls; potted plants were set to create an environmental friendly impression.

Fig.5: Sou FUJIMOTO: Sections of the House of Mobility and Energy

Fig.6 : Sou FUJIMOTO: Drawings of the House of Mobility and Energy

Fig.7: Nacasa&Partners Inc. : Photos of the House of Mobility and Energy

From the diagrams and descriptions provided by the design team, one can clearly see that they wanted to create seamless transit between indoor and outdoor, or furthermore attempted to turn the transit system into part of the energy system for the house. [Fig.8] In his article in the documentation book, Sou Fujimoto described the ideal future as follows:

“Henceforth, if the robotic technology could continue to develop, maybe one day, things like air chairs will surround us, following the calling commands and let us sit whenever we want. And furniture would move all over around as well; appliances would fly to people when they want to use them. Through the communication between human and machines, the wonderful world will keep spreading; the boundary of human and furniture, and of human and space will turn to invisible.”[8]

Fig.8: Honda: Concept Diagram for the House of Mobility and Energy

2.3 Land, City, Planet

It seems kind of natural that the narrative in China turned so grand and massive, considering Chinese tend to think on a larger scale. The theme for China House Vision was “New Gravity”, as a metaphor of the dramatically changing social reform and the uncertain future the country is facing. Kengo Kuma expressed his expectation in the foreword: “I look forward to seeing the new trend shaking the traditional concept of ‘House’.”[9] Following the guideline, LI Hu, the Lead Architect of OPEN Architecture, chose an exaggerated way to study his “New Gravity”---- the gravity on Mars. In the interview of Kenya Hara, Yung Ho Chang and LI Hu, he explained his concern for the environment, a popular topic in East Asia and the world:

“… A similar effort on our other public project, to express our rethink to the current time, and try to convey some message to the public---- that human activities have caused irreparable damage to Earth, to this situation what can we do? Constantly thinking such questions, we therefore want to challenge the life pattern in extreme environment. We proposed building a ‘House’ on Mars, and actually through this ‘House’, asking audience a completely opposite question: Are we really going to Mars? In what way can we avoid going? ”[10]

Thus the MARS Case was born, and Mobility changed from movement among places in the city scale, to the mobility of the house itself. Actually nowadays going to Mars is not an unfamiliar issue anymore, profit-seeking entrepreneurs love to talk about applying their products in the outer space, among whom Elon Musk is one of the most standing. To make their proposal distinct from the other travelling capsule, the design team proposed the House as “a collection of Appliances; in other word, create a home by the linkage of appliance”[11], probably due to the collaboration with Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics company with strong determination to develop industrial ecosphere for home automation.

The MARS Case consisted of two part: a fixed small high-tech metal-shelled space with all the utilities and a bubble space for living. [Fig.9] As for the fixed part, the team decided the space in a scale of 2.4x2.4x2m for fulfilling minimal living standards, meanwhile all the appliances were embedded on the wall, including kitchen tools, a toilet, air conditioners, a washing machine, etc. According to their concept, the bubble, made of shape-memory material in near future, shall be able to be folded and the whole structure would turn into “a Suitcase”, perfect for interplanetary journeys. After setting up on the campsite of the new planet, the bubble can provide volcano-shaped windows for vision connection with exterior, and the extended space for sleeping and relaxing. Though designed in an isolated way, the team did not give up on making community. In the perspective rendering provided [Fig.10], a possible form of linkage was shown to suggest assumption of collective living and formation of a “smart community” under extreme conditions. LI Hu wanted the house to be not only a suitcase, but also a prototype that in the future people can consider to use as mobile homes in vocations.

Fig.9: OPEN Architecture: Concept Drawing of MARS Case

Fig.10: OPEN Architecture: Concept Drawing of MARS Case

Compared with the previous two projects, the MARS Case has a much stronger tendency to depict a utopian future. Despite the opposite question the architect wanted the audience to rethink, the option of not going to Mars, the team actually tried to picture a perfect plan with smallest living space and simultaneously maintaining the comfort. The mobility within the house was regarded less important; even the mobility of appliances was restricted in a way, because the space was too small and too fixed to make any further personal adjustment. In exchange, the mobility of the house has been greatly emphasized; at least in the proposal people would be capable to take “the suitcases” along travels from stars to stars. From a piece of land, to cities, to the outer spaces, architects finally could not resisted the concept of Mobility planet-widely.

[1] Kirsch, K., Kirsch, G., & Britt, D., The Weissenhofsiedlung: Experimental housing built for the Deutscher Werkbund, Stuttgart (New York: Rizzoli, 1927), 111.

[2] Kirsch, K., Kirsch, G., & Britt, D., The Weissenhofsiedlung: Experimental housing built for the Deutscher Werkbund, Stuttgart (New York: Rizzoli, 1927), 114.

[3] Kirsch, K., Kirsch, G., & Britt, D., The Weissenhofsiedlung: Experimental housing built for the Deutscher Werkbund, Stuttgart (New York: Rizzoli, 1927), 117.

[4] Kirsch, K., Kirsch, G., & Britt, D., The Weissenhofsiedlung: Experimental housing built for the Deutscher Werkbund, Stuttgart (New York: Rizzoli, 1927), 114.

[5] Kenya HARA, Executive committee of HOUSE VISION (2018). HOUSE VISION 2013 TOKYO EXHIBITION, China: CITIC Press Corporation,12

[6] Kenya HARA, Executive committee of HOUSE VISION (2018). HOUSE VISION 2013 TOKYO EXHIBITION, China: CITIC Press Corporation,62

[7] Kenya HARA, Executive committee of HOUSE VISION (2018). HOUSE VISION 2013 TOKYO EXHIBITION, China: CITIC Press Corporation,44

[8] Kenya HARA, Executive committee of HOUSE VISION (2018). HOUSE VISION 2013 TOKYO EXHIBITION, China: CITIC Press Corporation,46.

[9] Kenya HARA, Executive committee of HOUSE VISION (2018). HOUSE VISION 2018 BEIJING EXHIBITION, China: CITIC Press Corporation,14

[10] Kenya HARA, Executive committee of HOUSE VISION (2018). HOUSE VISION 2018 BEIJING EXHIBITION, China: CITIC Press Corporation,27

[11] Kenya HARA, Executive committee of HOUSE VISION (2018). HOUSE VISION 2018 BEIJING EXHIBITION, China: CITIC Press Corporation,70

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erinoguzer-blog · 6 years ago

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Dear friends of Governors’, High season is right around the corner and we have been working tirelessly over the last few months to pull off an exciting array of new projects, upgrades and latest additions including a Cessna Grand Caravan, 5 Landcruisers (straight out of the showroom), 3 Landrovers that have been expertly modified into photographic safari vehicles, 8 brand new tents at Private Camp, 8 brand new family units at Governors’ Camp, 1 new balloon basket and 3 new balloon envelopes. Let’s not forget our northern Kenya property, Mugie House, which is coming along beautifully and will open its doors to our first guests by the end of the year! Rome was certainly not built in a day, but we do feel as though we have achieved something pretty miraculous here. We have a wonderful ‘cast of characters’ at Governors’, which includes an incredibly dedicated team that has made it all happen. Its been a race against time – lots of pressure, lots of fun and most of all – a huge sense of pride that we have managed to meet all the deadlines and ultimately, we can continue to offer a diverse set of experiences, designed to excite and inspire our valued guests. In keeping with all the new additions, we have welcomed back Will Fortescue as our resident photographer for the next four months over high season. He has just returned from a two week stay at our community-owned lodge in Rwanda, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, with the most stunning collection of images including the gorillas (as used in this newsletter), Golden Monkeys and our supported community and cultural projects. Please follow our social media pages (links are at the bottom of this newsletter) to see more of Will’s photography.

Wishing you all the best,

Governors’ Camp Collection

WHAT’S NEW AT GOVERNORS’ CAMP COLLECTION

Governors’ Aviation: In May we welcomed the latest addition to our fleet: a (new to us) Cessna Grand Caravan that made a five day journey all the way from Ohio, across the Atlantic and over to the Azores and then Egypt, before touching down on Kenyan soil at Wilson Airport. All paperwork and maintenance checks aside, we expect her to be up in the air in time for high season, over which we will be operating a total of four aircraft – all Cessna Grand Caravans – the best in the business!

Governors’ Camp Collection:

Photographic safari vehicles: all our Mara camps are set in the heart of the best wildlife viewing areas, amongst some of East Africa’s most spectacular scenery. It’s therefore no surprise, that we attract film crews from landmark series such as BBC Earth’s Dynasties and Animal Planet’s Big Cat Tales, as well as both professional and amateur photographers from all corners of the world. Attention like this from the world of film and photography enthusiasts can only mean one thing …. bring on the photographic safari vehicles! Specially modified to include same level seating throughout, cut out side panels in the middle row (can be closed over with canvas sheeting), high roofs and fully folding windscreens – features that were specifically recommended to us by our professional photographic safari guides. We have converted 3 refurbished Landrovers into a photographer’s dream!

Private Camp: the camp offering an exclusive taste of the Governors’ experience. We have really gone all out here and replaced the original eight dark green canvas tents with completely new beige tents which are higher, wider and have huge floor-to-roof windows, offering more space and air flow. Pretty touches include brass lamps in the bedroom units and in the bathrooms, as well as the addition of Kitengela’s recycled glassware which replaces plastic bottled water (this completes our whole collection of camps in being plastic water bottle free – hurrah!) We have kept the original wooden decking of each tent’s private verandah – the perfect place to sit back and enjoy the activities of the Mara River below you.

Governors’ Camp: we have replaced the previous 6 family units with 8 brand new family tents which have been beautifully crafted out of beige ripstop. They are one meter longer, and slightly wider and higher than the previous units. The windows are much bigger than before, allowing in more light. The bathrooms now feature double sinks, stone tile floors and ‘Lamu finish’ grey coloured walls, all in keeping with the natural and muted colours of the camp’s surroundings.

Governors’ Balloon Safaris: as pioneers of the Classic African Safari, it was only fitting that we should add hot air balloon flights to the collection, more than FORTY YEARS ago! Offering the most scenic flight path in the Masai Mara, we continue to be the top choice for this bucket-list experience, and so we receive a new basket and 3 new ‘envelopes’ (or ‘balloons’) in just a few days time! In other exciting news, our Mara guides are currently receiving further training, specifically in Ornithology, by bird expert Dave Richards. Not only has Dave been providing relief management across our camps and lodges since the early days, but he is also a professional safari guide, author and photographer, who has written a number of published books on travel and wildlife in Kenya and East Africa.

UPDATE ON GOVERNOR’S MUGIE HOUSE

For those of you who don’t know, Mugie House is our latest addition to Governors’ Camp Collection – a luxury camp up north which will combine perfectly with the rest of our property portfolio. We expect to be open towards the end of the year!

Meanwhile, hard work continues up in Laikipia as the property comes together beautifully. Aside from the actual rebuild and renovations, there are many other ongoing developments such as ‘bush cookery’ training by Antonia Stogdale, Safari Chef and Founder of ‘Antonia’s Kitchen’. We have two chefs taking the course, David and Mungai, and as you can see there are all sorts of delicious and colourful preparations underway, as well as a home-grown vegetable garden which will allow us to supply only the freshest of ingredients!

GOVERNORS’ CAMP COLLECTION BLOGS – MASAI MARA GAME REPORT

Pastel sunrises have opened the days for the month of May, while rainfall has been quite scattered. There has been plenty of mating between the Marsh Pride lionesses, specifically Yaya and her adult daughters, Pamoja and Nusu Mkia, with some of the Marsh males; we are hoping for tiny cubs by about mid August which will clearly delight our high season guests. Serval cat sightings have been frequent as well as leopard and cheetah.

Loldia House: May 2019

Hot weather and little rain in May encouraged wildlife right into the Loldia House surrounds for the green grass and complimentary hay and molasses mixture we have been leaving out in the evenings. Night game drives are becoming more exciting than ever with the use of red filters on our car’s spotlights; May sightings included an aardvark! Thank you to two special guests who got involved in our community & conservation project.

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge: May 2019

May was a mixed month of heavy rain and just a few sunny days. The lodge was full almost nightly and many friendships were made over gorilla talk by the fire in our cosy sitting room – it was truly heartwarming! The highlight of the month was the arrival of photographer Will Fortescue. We had the pleasure of his company for two weeks while he captured all aspects of the lodge including the community & cultural activities.

PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI – 2020 DATES RELEASED!!

Following the success of our photo safari hosted by Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE in green season this year, we are hosting two photo safaris in 2020! A renowned African wildlife photographer, Paul’s passion started as a photographer’s assistant many moons ago in London and developed into an obsession through the last 25 years living and working in Africa. He is a widely published wildlife photographer, with several coffee table books and exhibitions. Amongst the social enterprises he has been involved in, Paul is the founder of the world acclaimed Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, created in partnership with The Born Free Foundation, and receiving global coverage including BBC and Sky News. Dates: 23rd – 29th March and 6th – 12th June 2020. Each safari is limited to six places only!

Community Revenue Earned from Governors’ Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

Community Revenue Earned from Governors’ Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge Surpasses US$3.25 Million

Governors’ Camp’s Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in Rwanda is a uniquely community-owned lodge, with revenue received by the surrounding SACOLA Community. In August, we reached an incredible milestone when revenue earned by the community surpassed $3.25 Million.

On 7th September, 2018 Rwanda celebrated Kwita Izina, the annual national celebration where new baby gorillas are named in an event attended by heads of state, world conservation figures, and celebrities. The loud and clear message throughout the week of celebrations is that in order to protect gorillas, you must look after communities. Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge’s revenue-sharing model has allowed a community of over 5000 households who live at the edge of Volcanoes National Park to benefit directly from gorilla tourism.

Opened officially in 2008 by President Paul Kagame, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is uniquely community-owned, the only such lodge in Rwanda. The Lodge was designed, built and is managed by Governors’ Camp, with revenue streams in the form of lease fees and levies from each guest stay going directly to the community.

Revenue from Sabyinyo Lodge is invested in socio-economic development projects, as determined by the SACOLA community through an elected board, that uplift the lives of the community members.

To date, some of the projects that have been achieved with the revenue stream from Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge include:

Connecting 5800 households to electricity

Construction of 65 classrooms in 6 schools, including two computer labs

Purchase of 40 acres of land to build Nyarubande School – one of the six schools

Donation 60 computers to 2 schools

Equipping schools with desks

Payment of school fees for children from the poorest families

Building of 40 houses for donation to survivors of the genocide, ex-poachers and the communities most vulnerable people. All houses are fully plumbed, electrified and provided fully furnished

The construction of two villages (34 houses) which house 126 formerly destitute farmers on the fringes of Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda who subsisted from the park. The village provides houses, water tanks and plots of land to people living close to the edge of the national park who are being resettled within the framework of the park extension project.

The construction and maintenance of 12 kms of local roads. Construction of bridges over waterways

Purchase of land to build a new technical school, aimed at upskilling members of the community with marketable skills

Donation of water tanks to community members for household water storage

Repair of damaged houses for community members

Provision of healthcare insurance for 7000 of the poorest community members

Construction of a health centre

Construction of piping and water collection points servicing over 10s of thousands of community members

The establishment and support of a local pig project.

The establishment and support of a local sheep project

Provision of capital to create a poultry business run by a coop of widows of the genocide

Ongoing support of livestock business with a SACOLA financed vet.

Financing of the construction of 2 SACCOS (community banks)

Initiating a one family one cow program which provides cows to poor people in the local community, with over 250 cows donated

Every guest staying at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is making a direct contribution to the uplifting of lives of the people living alongside the Volcanoes National Park, thus ensuring the future of Rwanda’s Mountain Gorillas.

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

The post Governors’ Camp Collection – June 2019 Newsletter appeared first on Africa Adventure Company& Blog.

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thisisluxurytravel · 5 years ago

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5 Things You Need to Know Before a Safari to Lewa Conservancy and Lewa house

To travel into the Lewa Conservancy is to journey into the heart of nature in all its raw beauty.

Lewa house offers elegant accommodations, an unbelievable safari experience, and delicious food. But above all, by staying there, you will be contributing to the local conservation efforts to protect endangered species. Read on for my review of Lewa house.

1. Lewa is easy to access from Nairobi

Lewa Conservancy is located in the center of Kenya, in Isiolo. It is about a 5-hour drive from Nairobi.

The easiest way to reach Lewa is to fly directly from Wilson Airport in Nairobi, with SafariLink or Air Kenya, which offer daily scheduled flights to the Conservancy. There are also occasional flights from the Masai Mara. Lewa is also near Ol Malo Lodge, which can be accessed with a small private plane, so it’s easy to combine a trip to Lewa and Ol Malo. For my review of Ol Malo, read here

Lewa Conservancy has its own airstrip for small planes, and the drive from the Lewa airstrip to Lewa House is about 20 minutes. It took us a bit longer, as our guide merged the trip with a short game drive. Within 30 minutes of landing, we had already seen a herd of elephants, Grevy zebras, reticulated giraffes, and three rhinoceros!

2. The accommodation at Lewa house is simply elegant

Lewa House is the best option for your stay in the Lewa Conservancy. It is the oldest accommodation in the Conservancy. It exudes charm and sophistication. The boutique lodge is surrounded by beautiful savannahs opposite Mount Kenya. The lodge has the most beautiful views. All in all, Lewa house provides a fantastic wildlife experience to its guests.

The main house at Lewa House

Lewa House is composed of the main house, which includes the restaurant, a relaxing lounge, and a pretty garden with a pool.

There is a massive fireplace in the main house that was a lovely spot to enjoy drinks before dinner. It is surprisingly chilly at night, so congregating by the fire was a special moment and an enjoyable place to meet the other guests staying at Lewa House.

Review of the bedrooms at Lewa house

The rooms are scattered around the property, in cute little cottages. The cottages are built using traditional Lewa architecture techniques, with rough stone walls and thatched roofs.

We stayed in one of the family cottages. It was perfect for two people traveling together but would also be ideal for family of four. Our Cottage had a double and twin room, each with an en-suite bathroom.

The beds were comfortable and had mosquito nets. The furniture was homely and made of natural materials like wood and stones. The attention to detail was incredible, and everything was beautifully made.

Free laundry was provided during our stay. It took less than 24 hours for our clothes to be returned.

In front of the two bedrooms, we had a large verandah where we could relax after the day’s activities. It was a peaceful spot, with a great view.

Lewa House is surrounded by an electric fence to keep the animals at bay. They also recommend getting an escort from the main house to your room at night, as some animals sometimes manage to find a way into the compound. It happened when we were there: an elephant found its way in and was happily eating in Lewa House’s organic garden!

Sustainability at Lewa House

Lewa House cares deeply about sustainability. That is apparent in the way the house is run. From their buildings using mostly local material, to the harvesting of rainwater, and solar panels for hot water and electricity, they have made sustainable design choices wherever possible.

Lewa House also composts food waste and reduces plastic use. You won’t find plastic bottles here. We received reusable metal water bottles during our game drives.

Internet access at Lewa House

There is good internet access in the main lounge, but not in the bedrooms.

3. The food is fresh and locally produced

Lewa house is surrounded by a great vegetable and herb garden. Most of the food is local and is very fresh and tasty. The chefs prepared sophisticated meals combining European, Kenyan, and Asian cuisine. It was truly delicious.

The dining room has a distinctly British feel, and food was served family-style, with all the guests gathering around a large table. We felt like guests of the family, and dinner gave everyone the opportunity to hear local stories from Sophie, Francine and Callums, our hosts, and also to share our day’s adventures with other guests.

The meals for both lunch and dinner included an appetizer, a main course, and dessert. The chef was very responsive to my dietary requirements and adjusted my meal as needed.

Breakfast was served buffet-style in the pretty garden, offering a stunning view of the water holes, with elephants and zebras passing by.

4. Game drives are uncrowded and spectacular

Lewa House is located in a private conservancy. Being in a conservancy usually means fewer cars and tourists, and it also gives guests the opportunity to do game drives at night.

We did a game drive every morning and every evening, as this is the time when the animals are most active. The game drives here were exhilarating. Our driver, David, was highly professional and qualified. The conservancy has a great variety of wildlife, including rhinos, zebras, big cats, and more.

Lewa House uses a Land Rover with 3 rows of seats for its drives. We were sharing the car with another couple from England. It was my first time in a safari car with 3 rows, and I found it uncomfortable. If you are tall, the space between rows is just not big enough for your legs. That didn’t prevent us from having an excellent safari drive, but I was happy that the car was not loaded up to its full capacity of 6 people.

TIP: Most cars in the Masai Mara now pack 3 rows of seats (even the luxury camps), so check that when you book your camp. You will spend hours in that car, so you might as well make sure it is comfortable. In Masai Mara, we stayed at the Tangulia Mara camp, and they had comfortable 2-row cars.

The landscape is stunning. With the salt marsh, cliffs, and small rivers crossing the conservancy, the scenery is mesmerizing.

We saw so many rhinos that we actually stopped getting excited about seeing them. We even saw a baby rhino that seemed to be talking to a baby elephant. Our group watched their interaction for over 20 minutes. It was clear that the babies wanted to play together, but the parents didn’t seem convinced. The big male elephant was watching the situation closely!

Chasing Lions and Leopards

On our last drive, we went looking for a lion family. We tracked them, following their dung and tracks. It was almost sunset, and we were close to giving up when our guide David got a call from one of the rangers who said that they’d seen a leopard.

We set off on a mad and exhilarating drive on the dirt road to reach the leopard. It was very close to the road. It came so close to our car that we could have touched it (and the vehicles at Lewa House are totally open, so we actually could have, if we wanted to risk losing a hand). He stayed nearby, posing for photos for a short moment, and then went off stalking into the nearby woods. The alert noise made by the impalas was loud and scary: imagine listening to a broken radio with the volume way up. A hyena showed up as well, sensing an upcoming kill. What a thrilling moment!

After all that excitement, we had a quick sundowner drink (in the car, since the Leopard was still hunting nearby). Our group made it back happily to Lewa House for dinner, where we had great stories to share.

Another highlight of staying at Lewa House is the archaeological tour offered by Callum. The archaeological remains found in Lewa Conservancy are some of Kenya’s best archaeological sites outside the Rift Valley. We visited the tool factory, and Callum gave us a passionate introduction to early human history.

5. You contribute to the financing of the Lewa Conservancy and preserving endangered species

Lewa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it has some of the best game viewings in the whole of East Africa. By choosing to visit Lewa, you’re contributing to the conservation effort. The park fee included in the cost of your stay goes to the conservancy. Lewa House is working to keep the endangered species safe. The local community immensely supports animal conservancy. While we were there, we saw more patrol cars than tourist cars.

The Lewa Conservancy is showing excellent results in protecting endangered species:

14% of Kenya’s rhinos live in Lewa Conservancy. They had 14 newborn rhinos in 2017, and no-poaching since 2013.

12% of the world’s Grevy’s zebra population lives in Lewa. In the late 1970s, over 15,000 Grevy’s zebra roamed in the wild. Hunting and poaching drastically reduced the population over the years, and the 2016 Great Grevy’s census results indicated that Kenya is now home to 2,350 Grevy’s zebras, 90% of the world’s population.

Conclusion

Lewa conservancy might be the best place in Kenya to see rhinos. Lewa House is an enchanted location, offering mouthwatering food and beautiful cottages. Sophie, Francine, and Collum are incredible hosts that have created a gem of a place that you will find hard to leave.

For more amazing lodges to plan your trip in Kenya, check my reviews of Ol Malo lodge, the Emakoko in Nairobi and Tangulia Mara in the Masai Mara.

Happy safari!

The post 5 Things You Need to Know Before a Safari to Lewa Conservancy and Lewa house appeared first on Luxury travel Inspiration.

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itsiotrecords-blog · 8 years ago

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Unknown to most people, the unexplored regions of the world offer destinations that are unique for vacations. These unique spots not only promise unsullied scenery but they also offer unusual vacation experiences for those who seek to get away from the run-of-the-mill escapades on mediocre beaches and hotels. Check out our 25 unusual places to take a vacation and make it a point to do something different on your next planed escapade.

#1 Seagaia Ocean Dome The Seagaia Ocean Dome, was the world’s largest Polynesia-themed indoor waterpark, located in Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan. The Ocean Dome, which was a part of the Sheraton Seagaia Resort, measured 300 metres in length and 100 metres in width, and was listed in the Guinness Book Of World Records. It sported a fake flame-spitting volcano, artificial sand and the world’s largest retractable roof, which provided a permanently blue sky even on a rainy day. Unfortunately it closed in 1997.

#2 Alnwick Poison Garden The Alnwick Garden is a complex of formal gardens adjacent to Alnwick Castle in England. One of the more interesting attractions here is the poison garden and the signs on the front gate seem to give a fairly concise description of what you can expect.

#3 727 Fuselage Home-Costa Verde Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just step off the plane and walk right unto the beach without worrying about luggage or security? The 727 Fuselage Home makes this desire a reality…well almost. This unique hotel located within the coastal rainforest of Costa Rica overlooking the Pacific beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park near Quepos, is a retrofitted Boeing 727. Originally designed to carry 150 cramped passengers, the jet is now home to luxurious beds, incredible vistas, and easy beach access.

#4 Giraffe Manor A one of a kind hotel nestled in a suburb in Nairobi, Kenya, the Giraffe Manor is a small lodge that is home to some of the most endangered Rothschild giraffes in Kenya. It is known today for being a small, private hotel that opens its doors to guests who want to experience feeding giraffes either from their own breakfast tables or through the front door or windows of their rented rooms.

#5 Boot and Breakfast The Boot and Breakfast is a unique hotel designed as a giant pair of boots. Understandably, when it first opened in 2001 the locals considered the partners to be slightly crazy, but after several years of business and many happy visitors they are rightly taking their place as local celebrities.

#6 Desert Nomad House If you have ever felt the urge to just get away from it all, this is the perfect unusual place for you. Rick Joy’s “Desert Nomad House” is located in the Tucson desert right besides…nothing, absolutely nothing (for the exception of the Saguaro cacti). The simple design consists of a rusted steel box housing a 780 square foot bathroom; a living room , kitchen, and dining area; and a 440 square foot bedroom with a 200 square foot office. This is the epitome of a tranquil get away.

#7 Your own Fiji Island Picture this: Crystal clear blue waters, tropical floral scented breeze, soothing shore echoing the sound of the sea, clear blue skies that transform into a brilliant display of celestial lights at night, and best of all no one around. That’s right, no screaming children, obnoxious people, not even an annoying dog. This is the luxury of spending a day or two in your own, rented private Fiji Island. Depending on the island a night can cost around $2,500.

#8 Panda Inn Panda Inn is a chain of restaurants that originated in Sichuan, China and features basically everything panda related. Even the staff is dressed in panda suits!

#9 Metroplis, Illinois If you are a die hard fan of Superman, than you know of his hometown Metropolis. But did you know that the city actually exists? Metropolis, Illinois is the only city in the world dedicated to Superman (complete with a gigantic superman statue). If you really want to get into the Superman hype, the best time to go is in June when the locals put on a festival called “The Superman Celebration” which attracts book collectors and fans from all over the United States. To be fair, the real Metropolis is not the gigantic Super City depicted in the comics. Rather, it resembles more of a small town (think Smallville).

#10 Izu Islands A group of volcanic islands that includes about a dozen islets, Izu Islands extends southeast from the Izu Peninsula and is characterized by the unique flavor of each of its atolls. One of its islands, Ohama, is known for its active volcano, Mt. Mahira, which has erupted several times over the last decade. Another island, Niijima, is known for its pristine beaches while Mikurajima is famous for its amusing dolphin shows.

#11 Igloo Village Tourists who seek to rough it in the cold expanse of snowy Finland can visit the sheltered Igloo Village. With an array of unique lodging encompassing snow and glass igloos, visitors can experience the northern lights up close and personal.

#12 Black Rock Desert-Burning Man Festival For those who feel the urge to “radically express themselves” the Burning Man Festival held in the Black Rock desert is the destination for you. The Burning Man is a week long event that begins on the last Monday of August and ends on the first Monday in September and gets its name from the ritual of burning a large wood effigy on Saturday evening.

#13 Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve A vast ocean of lava flows that covers about 618 square miles of land, the Craters of the Moon Na ional Monument and Preserve is one of the most unique scenery in the United States. Craters of the Moon was formed between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago after a series of volcanic eruptions in the region transforming the landscape into a rugged “Apocalyptic-looking” environment. Visitors can lodge in one of the available campgrounds enabling visitors to witness the crater’s spectacular sundown and sunrise.

#14 Yellowstone National Park Located in the state of Wyoming, USA, the Yellowstone National Park is popular for its wildlife and geothermal features. It is among the most preferred tourist destinations for nature lovers because of its subalpine forest and sundry ecosystems, though Old Faithful, a giant cone geyser, is still its major feature. Through the years, several explorers have conducted expeditions in this park and have discovered more of its underlying canyons, lakes, rivers and mountain ranges.

#15 Island of the Dolls Also known as La Isla De Las Muñecas, the Island of the Dolls is dubbed as the creepiest and most bizarre tourist destination in Mexico. The trees grown on this island are decorated with old and mutilated dolls that were hung by the islands one and only former resident. Upon setting foot in this island, tourists who visit this place often offer gifts to appease the spirits that are believed to dwell in the hanging bodies of these dolls.

#16 Niagara Falls The major source of hydrothermal energy in all Canada, Niagara Falls is the collective name for the three waterfalls that border the Canadian Province of Ontario and New York, USA. Heralded as the largest waterfalls in the world, the Niagara Falls are known for their unmatched beauty and grandiose spectacle. The number of tourists who visit the falls peaks during summertime when colorful floodlights light up the waterfalls at night and accentuate their beauty.

#17 Jules’ Undersea Lodge Have you ever tried to count fish instead of sheep in order to fall asleep? If not, you just might be in for a treat once you swim into this outrageous hotel. Jules’ Undersea Lodge is located in Key Largo, Florida and is the only undersea hotel in the United States built 30 feet deep on the ocean floor. Inaugurated in 1986, this undersea hotel requires guests to go scuba diving to get into one of the two rooms available.

#18 The Orient Express Train rides are a great way to see the country side and no other train does it with as much class as the Orient Express. Operated by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, the Orient Express is a passenger train service that passes through Paris, Venice, London and Istanbul. Known as the king of all trains, it houses classy accommodations, bars; and dining and boutiques. Without a doubt, this is indeed grand luxury on rail.

#19 Edinburgh Castle Don’t let the stoic and imposing architecture fool you. The Edingurgh Castle is one of the most popular haunted vacations spots in Scotland. Particular attention has been given to the castle’s prison cells which where allegedly used to quarantine plague victims and is where strong paranormal activity resides. Only the bravest dare to stay in this place.

#20 Les Sources de Caudalie Les Sources de Caudalie boasts of its magnificent spa attracting tourists who wish to have a simple and relaxing vacation. In fact, in 2003 this hotel was recognized as being one of the best spas in the world. Among the services that this spa offers are a wine and honey wrap, a Turkish bath and a red wine bath (wait, red wine bath?…that’s their secret).

#21 Alcatraz Hotel If you have ever wanted to experience life on a lock down without breaking the law, you may want to consider the Alcatraz Hotel. This outrageous lodging is a former German prison retrofitted to accommodate 56 rooms with actual cells as sleeping quarters. Amenities include barred windows, toilet in the corner of the room, and your very own steel door slot used to slide your dinner to you.

#22 Sahara Desert Known as the hottest desert in the world, the Sahara Desert stretches from the Red Sea to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. People who wish to take on this unusual vacation challenge can cross the Sahara Desert and catch a glimpse of its picturesque landscape which is like no other in the world. A vast expanse; it features rolling sand dunes that can reach heights of up to 180 meters (590ft).

#23 Galapagos Islands The Galapagos Islands is a group of volcanic islands near the equator in the Pacific Ocean that boast in their natural beauty and are home to an incredible array of animals found nowhere else in the world. Stepping into these islands is like stepping into another world. In fact, it was on these islands that Charles Darwin conducted his experiments!

#24 Palacio De Sal Rarely can you ever say that too much sodium is good for you. However, when it comes to Palacio De Sal (translated Salt Palace), too much sodium is exactly what the doctor is prescribing. This unique hotel, located at the eastern edge of Salar de Uyuni (the worlds largest salt flat by the way) is made entirely from salt, that includes the furniture and the structure of the buildings. When you go to this hotel, resist the urge to lick the walls since there is a strictly enforced rule prohibiting guests to do so.

#25 Free Spirit Spheres Sleeping among the trees takes on a literal sense with these Free Spirit Spheres located in Qualicom Beach, Canada. One of the coolest aspects of this very unique vacation spot is the fact that your room (thanks to the stretchy webbing that holds the pods in the air) sways with the trees…it’s almost as if the trees are rocking you to sleep.

Source: List25

#IoTRecords

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emunenen · 6 years ago

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Makao Bora

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UN-Habitat Nairobi unveils a new house affordable to everyone made of recycled plastic and steel

The UN-Habitat has unveiled a house prototype for affordable green building aimed at addressing housing shortage in densely populated urban areas. Dubbed Tiny House, the model is expected to address the problem of affordable housing in Kenya and tackle climate change.

Unlike conventional houses, the ‘tiny’ house occupies smaller space and makes maximum use of vertical space. It is built complete with a sitting room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. It is constructed using a mixture of recyclable materials such as the tetra pack plastic for the walls and steel to ensure longevity.UN-Habitat Urban Energy Unit chief Vincent Kitio says the house is durable because the tetra-pack panels used in the body are made from recycled milk packets, which makes it waterproof and delays the spread of fire.“The idea behind these green buildings is to show that it is possible to combine sustainability and address affordable housing. We are addressing the housing need using these types of houses and at the same time the planet’s biggest challenge: climatic change,” says Kitio.

He said the house is designed to use passive building elements to allow for natural ventilation.

The house has fewer windows compared to the conventional house to reduce heat gain. To allow for natural lighting, it has big solar panels that allow light to pass through during the day and at night. Energy generated during the day is used for lighting.It also has a solar heating water system on the roof and a solar charging facility for an electric vehicle. It further boasts a two-kilowatt house solar panel system that allows you to cook your food using a special stove called the ‘indoctral cook stove’, available in the supermarkets.

The house, designed to hold a family of five, has a small mezzanine. Living spaces have also been optimised. For example, below the staircase, there is a bed that can accommodate one person.

Additionally, it comes with a biogas system where the toilet is connected to the special biogas system, which goes for Sh65,000. The system is connected to the house and receives waste from the toilet, organic waste from the kitchen and produces gas used for cooking.

“When building such a house, one can use other materials and include a foundation as long as one takes the design into account,” says Kitio.

The placement of the house also matters because the house is oriented in an East to West position. This controls solar radiation, thereby controlling heat gain.Rain water harvesting, which could soon be mandatory in the building code, is also a key component of the house. It is fitted with gutters and pipes that lead the water to a storage tank. “Whenever it rains in Nairobi, it floods because there are no ways to adequately harvest rainwater to be used for other purposes. But this house takes that into consideration,” says Kitio.

The design also gives room for aquaponics or vertical farming.

The garden can grow up to 200 leafy vegetables such as kales (sukumawiki), Chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, spinach, chives, herbs, and watercress. Kitio says it costs between Sh1.8 million and Sh2.2 million to set up the house. “The Government of Kenya defines an affordable house to be between the range of Sh600,000 and Sh3 million. This house is within that range…,” he says.He says the tiny house model is part of addressing affording housing under the Big Four agenda.

The UN is not building the houses so that they can be sold but is sharing the idea and the model to anyone willing, including the government. Kitio says there have been 1,000 visitors to the tiny house, located at the UN office in Gigiri, Nairobi. It has also caught the interest of property developers.

“There are contractors who have approached us and they would want to develop the houses and we have contacts of people that can design them and are willing to share. But again, being a UN programme, the designs are open source and they will very soon be on our website for people to download. We want to promote this type of sustainable living model in the tropics,” he says.

Construction of such a house requires about Sh800,000 on building materials, Sh300,000 on the solar system, Sh200,000 for vertical farming, Sh65,000 for the biogas system, Sh85,000 for the solar hot water system and Sh400,000 on labour. You will also need to fork out an additional Sh390,000 for the charging facility.

Kitio says the design of the house can be adjusted, depending on the wishes of the client. If you don’t want it to go up, you can build it on the ground but the idea is to reduce the footprint since the target market is cities where it is compact and space is limited. “The building is designed to allow for upward adjustments, meaning you can add a floor or three floors,” he says.

Kitio says the cost of the house as well as that of technologies such as the solar technologies are the biggest challenge in the uptake of the housing model. “The cost of the building is a huge challenge and we are still looking into how to bring it down so that it’s affordable to most people,” he says.

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ktkski2017-blog · 8 years ago

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Mount Kenya

February 21, 2017

On Saturday, after rounding in the morning on male medical ward with Janet while Clark battled the credit card/debit card/cash/bank/chip-card debacle, Luke and I prepared to leave Chogoria to hike Mount Kenya. If you read our safari adventure you might have heard of our hired guide, Dunsten. So long story short, we had already given him a downpayment to take us up Mount Kenya prior to going on safari – and this guy had been recommended by Sergei from a hike he went on the previous month – so we went with it. His company was called something like mountain trekkers so we figured it had to be better than the safari. And it was – I can glowingly recommend Dunsten and his crew for mountain trekking as we had a great weekend.

Day 1

We met Dunsten and his six porters/cooks/drivers/what have you in the grass in front of Clark’s house. They had a safari vehicle (go figure) that was a bit worse for wear, but ran. The whole group of them watched as Luke and I walked up (joined by Clark who came to see us off) and then I proceeded to talk business with Dunsten and debate costs (details not important). We eventually agreed (in front of everyone) and jumped in the vehicle, fitting all eight people and our gear inside - two in the boot with all of the backpacks. We picked up someone in town who wanted a ride to the National Park, so now there were nine of us. The road up the mountain was similar to the one we had taken with Leonard to find the waterfall a few days ago – at times narrow with potholes and obstacles. At another time, the road was newly made and completely smooth with water pipes running alongside it in the dirt as if the road was not yet finished. The car did not have power steering so the driver wrangled the steering wheel back and forth. The door that I was sitting against did not seem stable so I spent the ride gripping the seat in front of me as we also didn’t have seatbelts. All of the “the guys” debated loudly about various topics in Swahili so Luke and I just watched the sights go by. Once we reached the Mount Kenya National Forest (the electric fence wire strewn to the side allowing open driving to and from the forest), the road was graded and relatively well maintained but pretty steep. At one point Dunsten got out and did something with the engine before we went up a large slope. The forest on either side of the road had a lot of bamboo and we saw several small animals scamper to the sides, including monkeys. Dunsten said that the forest had water buffalo, hyena, some predators (but few and far between), birds, elephants, etc. At one incline the car stopped and Dunsten said that Luke and I were to get out to hike the last few kilometers for acclimation to the altitude. We hopped out and met Elijah – one of the crew that had been riding with us (turns out he is Dunsten’s brother-in-law) – and we hiked up the remainder of the distance to the cabin we were scheduled to stay at overnight at “the Bandas.” Luke and I had started taking dexamethasone the previous day – this is a generic steroid that people with lung diseases or inflammatory conditions take when they need a boost to their systems and can be used to combat altitude sickness. We did okay with the altitude – we were certainly huffing and puffing but as soon as the ground levelled out our breathing and heart rates slowed to normal (without the acclimation we would likely have higher resting heart and breathing rates to compensate for the decreased oxygen available at higher altitudes – this makes your body work harder just to maintain status-quo).

The cabin was simple wood with concrete footers and a concrete fireplace – we were given a bedroom with twin beds and a bathroom that was no frills. The shower leaked all day (which perhaps kept it from freezing in the cold temperatures on the mountain) and the toilet didn’t have a seat – which is common in public bathrooms in Kenya. The temperature was cool - maybe in the 60’s –but I was comfortable in a t-shirt with a thin long-sleeve over shirt and running pants. Luke was in shorts. The porters/cooks set up in the next room to cook dinner and brought us out some tea. Elijah gathered us to go for a walk around the Bandas to see some of the animals. He walked us up to a fish hatchery, however there was no one around to show us the place – so we wandered a bit around the large cement drums that supposedly held 1,000 fish each and I snapped some shots of a large grey heron that must find some way to get past the hodge-podge wire coverings. We went to a few overlooks and saw waterbuck. At another overlook we heard loud noises in the woods so we sat down to see if any large animals would emerge. Several water buffalo descended out of the forest but the noises continued and we highly suspected an elephant (known for chomping down trees for a snack). While sitting on tufts of dried grasses, the weather changed and a rain cloud appeared overhead. I remember saying “looks like a rain cloud” but we continued to wait for the suspected elephant. We felt a couple of drops and decided to start walking back. Shortly thereafter, the sky opened up and it began to downpour so we ran for cover under one of the other cabin porches. Eventually we figured we needed to run the rest of the way in the rain as it did not look like it was going to stop anytime soon. Soaked, we returned to the cabin to be chuckled at by the other porters. We changed our clothes and sat around in the small sitting room next to the kitchen as people came and went all speaking Swahili. The temperatures dropped with the sun and Elijah lit a fire in the fireplace. Dinner was soup for appetizer with mashed potatoes, a vegetable stew, and fresh fruit for dessert. Initially, we didn’t know that the soup was only an appetizer – so we were stuffed by the end of dinner as we had eaten dinner portions of soup. The evening was spent sitting around the fire – Elijah joined us for some of the time and Dunsten for another portion. They were taking turns between their own meals. In the kitchen next to us was a constant discussion and people kept coming and going – it was like a clown car once we realized how small the room actually (there was only 1 chair we realized the next day). Eventually the party left the kitchen and the cabin was left to Luke and I. We hung up our wet clothes to dry by the fire and eventually went to sleep as we hadn’t thought to bring any entertainment with us (to lighten the load of hiking). The night was cold and the rain kept coming and going – so loud on the tin roofed buildings.

Day 2

Morning came early and the cook came at 6am to start boiling water and making food. We got up, packed our hiking bags (to be carried by the porters) and sat down for breakfast, which included fried eggs, toast, and a kind of pancake vs thick crepe. And tea, of course. Once we were all packed and ready, Dunsten led Luke and I toward the next destination. The day was cloudy with patchy sun. I kept switching from being too hot to too cold depending on whether the sun was out or we were going uphill. We walked through some pretty varied landscape – from dried grasses to green forest with huge trees dangling what looked like Spanish moss. There were fragrant bushes lining many of the roads that smelled kind of like rosemary and spearmint. I tried to figure out what many of the plants were but they were all strange and Dunsten only knew the names of a few, which he would share when he knew them. The large trees were “argoria”? And looked like huge Cyprus trees with thick wide spanning branches. At one point we made a turn off to go view a scenic lake and headed uphill. The climb was steep and slow – at one particularly steep area we realized a SUV with a small fishing boat on top of it was coming up behind us. Several guys got out of the vehicle and walked up the hill as the driver of the vehicle somehow drove that SUV up some of the most rugged and steep road that I have ever seen. He even waved at us out the window as he passed and then quickly put two hands back on the wheel. We met the guys as they walked past us – some ex-pats from Scotland/New Zealand/Canada was the vague explanation that I got. They were adventuring this weekend. Sounded like they had previously summited the mountain and were here for what I would assume is ‘bro’ time. We continued the slow climb after they had re-entered the car once it had passed the worst of the bad road. The lake was very picturesque in the dried grassy fields. Luke and I ate a snack and tried to enjoy the nature (minus the car load of guys across the way setting up for fishing camp). Dunsten the led us onward instead of back towards the way we came, saying we were going to take “the scenic route” to the camp. We walked farther along the lake, past some designated camping sites, and up around the hill next to the lake. The path was at times easy to find and other times was non-existent and so we bushwhacked through some of the foliage. The dried grass tufts were tricky to walk through as the ground was obscured by the grass – you never knew what lay beneath. A hole? A rock? Sometimes you would trip yourself with the grass if you stood on the end of it and tried to pass your other foot, hooking your toe. If you stepped on the dried grass tuft your foot would fall off the edge of the very sturdy tuft. I got far behind Luke and Dunsten several times trying to maneuver my path. We bushwhacked down a slope and I almost fell several times, grabbing on to various bushes to stabilize myself. We walked along a river for a while and my arms got sore from brushing against the bushes that stood on either side of the animal trail path – I felt like I was training to be a linebacker by the end of the trip from the number of times I had to push past the branches. As my hangry level rose we continued to bushwhack toward lunch. At one point Dunsten had us jump across a river at a arbitrarily chosen point after winding along the edge of the river, stepping in mushy spots and falling over tufts of dried grasses/avoiding thistles. Luckily we reached the camp shortly thereafter and they had lunch ready for us (or at least tea). They had set up a tent for us as well as a picnic table-ish area covered in a masai cloth. After lunch we set up our sleeping bags and mats (borrowed from Cyrus and Christina- thank you!) and set things up assuming it would rain during the night.

After a short break, Elijah took us on a walk to visit the nearby sites. First we visited a waterfall. We stood at the top of the waterfall – mere feet away from our shoes – and watched the water gush over the top. The path to the bottom of the waterfall was immediately next to the waterfall – meaning if you veered off the path a few inches to the left and stepped on the soft grass that “edged” the path – you would find yourself immediately at the base of the waterfall. At one point a cedar tree that had its roots at the base of the fall was a left sided hand-hold toward the top third of the tree. We clambored down roots, back and forth along the edge, and made it to the bottom in one piece. The waterfall was so lovely with the spray moistening the surrounding foliage and making it lush. The sun was out for the time being and lighting up the greenery. Once we had taken some photos and enjoyed the scene, we scrambled back up the slope and headed to “the caves.” The pathway to the caves was also exciting but less vertical. I will mention here that Mount Kenya was originally a volcano – not currently active – so the rock is all post-lavaflow. The caves consisted of crumbling lower lava flows that were pulled out of the cliffs by water flow. One cave had a small waterfall at the back of it with a large vertical crack through the roof – we did not explore this cave for fear of falling rock. The larger cave was dry but had a huge chunk of the roof that had fallen down that now created an island in the floor of the cave. People camp in the cave as evidenced by their trash left behind as well as old burned coals. Luke and I wandered up through a crevasse in the mountain cut by a small river/waterfall and enjoyed its wind tunnel effect on our hair. We slowly made our way back to camp, enjoying the temporary sunshine warming us up.

At camp, and at various points on our trip, we met several other travelers like ourselves. There was one group of French-speaking ladies who were taking breaks from their families for a ladies weekend on Mount Kenya. They are ex-pats living in Johannesburg, South Africa that met each other through their children, who all attend a French-speaking school while their husbands work/are stationed there. They were very friendly and surprisingly loud by French-people standards, and would often provide most of my entertainment during the trip. Another couple included a pair of friends – one had a South African accent (white) but was living in a nearby town here in Kenya and her companion was a Jordanian man that was visiting her for the time being. The French ladies had a group of porters, cooks, and a guide similar to us, whereas the friend couple had just hired a guide and a porter – and were otherwise doing their own cooking etc.

After dinner but before bed, Luke and I joined our porters/cooks next to a small fire that they made to keep warm. The temperatures were likely in the 50’s. We didn’t speak Swahili so the two of us sat there for about an hour listening to the group chat without us – but everyone can appreciate a warm fire silently and we had been welcomed over by Elijah, no one seemed concerned that we were there and not participating in the conversation. The stars were out and beautiful before we went to bed.

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