Last week, President William Ruto ordered that a house be set up for the family of the late world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum within a record two weeks.
The construction of Kelvin Kiptum’s house was to be fully funded by the government. As the contractor hit the ground running, Kenyans were keen to witness what type of house the government was building for the late Kiptum.
As construction progresses and the house takes shape, a majority of Kenyans have come out with a verdict on the new house. And this verdict is not very pleasing.
Kelvin Kiptum’s death raises sad memories of late Samuel Wanjiru
A number of Kenyans on social media have taken issue with the house’s flat roof and plywood walling. Others have made comparisons between the house and industrial warehouses, while others have adopted a wait-and-see approach. Here are some reactions from Kenyans on social media:
“I am 100 percent sure if Kelvin Kiptum rose up today and was given a chance to either inherit this house or put up a real classy one, he would opt for the latter. This is a kind of a warehouse or a godown,” remarked popular lawyer Wahome Thuku.
“Is this a store that will be used to keep the tools for the house they will build or this is the real house?” said Peter Karanja.
“I wish they could have taken enough time to build a nice one than rushing it,” Kiprop Mutai said.
“This is the frame work , just wait for the finished product,” Eric Kiplangat said.
“The Project managers did not consult widely. Currently, the quickest appropriate housing construction technologies are Precast Concrete Panels or Polystyrene Panels, not Light Steel Gauge. Ferrocement technology would have also worked,” said Viscount K’Owuor.
“Everything in Kenya starts with a lot of expectation but end results always disappointing,” said Robert Kosgei.
