INTERLOCKING BLOCKS TECHNOLOGY – NGILU’S SOLUTION TO KITUI HOUSING SECTOR.
Kitui County has embraced interlocking building blocks technology as a way of promoting affordable housing and wealth creation. The novel initiative has seen among others efforts to embrace the innovative technology that will see the construction of low-cost but durable ECDE classrooms, water kiosks, hospital perimeter walls.
The technology involves the use of bricks that interlock with one another without the need for cement, water or sand as is the case with the traditional construction technology. Importantly, it takes just days as opposed to months to put up a structure like a standard classroom.
According to the County Executive Member for Education Stephen Maithya, *Kitui County is using the blocks to construct 80 ECDE classrooms in her 40 wards. So far, 40 out of this number have been either completed or are near completion.
The rest are factored in in the next financial year. The idea is to modernize schools’ infrastructure and improve learning environment for better results while creating job opportunities for our youth and generally creating wealth for the county and the people of Kitui county.
The interlocking blocks are made at the Kitui County Youth Development Centre {KICOYDEC}, that is heavily investing in the provision of low cost housing solutions that will serve the low and middle income earners considering the affordability of the blocks.
The Kitui County Government, under the leadership of Governor Charity Ngilu, is calling upon our people to embrace the technology for faster and cheaper housing solutions.
The centre has hired hundreds of youths from across the county who earn a living from the making of construction materials.
According to Governor Charity Ngilu, the county will use the blocks to construct the Kitui County Textile Centre {KICOTEC} branches in Mwingi and Mutomo.
The interlocking bricks are a perfect choice for the construction industry citing their environmental friendliness, ease in repairing, durability, ability to withstand adverse weather and a variety of styling options available.
Kiini Primary School in Nzambani of Kitui East is an example of schools that have benefitted from the ECDE construction plan by use of these blocks.
Area MCA Ruth Kyene says the plan is a big relief to the learners who will onwards use the modern built structure.
Felistus Kasyoka, the PTA chairperson of the school lauds the plan as a fast way of solving the infrastructural challenges facing schools in the county.
“There is hope from this interlock blocks building plan, it will save us costs and is very convenient for our building needs” adds Paul Mutunga – a member of the clergy in the area.
The county is banking on creating employment and making use of the available local raw materials to make construction materials affordable and consequently boost the local economy.
