East & Central Africa’s biggest homes show, the 24th Blue Triangle Kenya Homes Expo will greatly benefit its visitors and clientele this October at the KICC by providing a platform that will guarantee Kenyans in the middle income segment home ownership opportunities.
The leading homes show in East & Central Africa, which begins today at the KICC, will be officially opened by Mr. James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Developmentand will be accompanied by Mr. SimonPeter Ole Nkeri, the recently appointed Managing Director of East African Portland Cement Company, Mr. Daniel Ojijo, Chairman of Homes Universal Limited, Mr. Jack Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Boleyn Magic Wall Panels, a gold sponsor of the expo.
The country is experiencing much interest from global brands and there isn’t a better time than now to invest in the Kenyan real estate economy. To quote the presidents sentiments during the recent TICAD conference, “Africa is the right partner for growth, it’s untapped resources and resilient economy are the right mix for investors”.
As the real estate market grows, the Kenya Homes Expo continues to identify and harness opportunities that encourage people with an interest in the real estate sector, and from the 27th to 30th October 2016, the said Kenya Homes Expo sponsored by Blue Triangle Cement, will set foot at the KICC with a vibrant and innovative collection of products mainly tailored for the low to middle income earners. East African Portland Cement Company recently signed a sponsorship deal with the Kenya Homes Expo worth Kshs. 20 Million. The deal which will run for the next two years, greatly affirms the industry platform as a worthy product for millions of Kenyans looking to invest in real estate. Thus EAPCC have secured the rights as Title Sponsor to have the expo run with the title “Blue Triangle Cement Kenya Homes Expo.
For the 6th year running, East African Portland Cement Company, manufacturers of the flagship cement product Blue Triangle Cement have sponsored the Kenya Homes Expo. Recently, under the management of the new Chief Executive Officer, Mr. SimonPeter ole Nkeri, the cement manufacturer renewed the title sponsorship for another consecutive 2 years.
The company, considered the second largest cement manufacturer in the country which recently appointed Mr. ole Nkeri in August this year, signed a sponsorship deal worth Kshs. 20 Million with the Kenya Homes Expo and will run till 2018. EAPCC sees this platform as an ideal place for their cement product as the expo meets the needs of the market by providing opportunities for Kenyans to own properties, build and invest in real estate. Blue Triangle Cement has long been known for holding the foundation of thousands of commercial and residential properties across the region.
At the said Expo, the crop of exhibitors showcasing homes will have a special interest in this segment of potential home owners. Other than showcasing homes, the expo has greatly expanded it’s wings to host related concepts for the real estate market. Some of these concepts which are receiving a lot of interest from investors and buyers is the agri-business concept, whereby once you buy land, before you start building or start planning for building, you can farm on the land and gain monetary interests. This concept will be showcased at the expo by developers such as Diamond Property Merchants and PRC.
During a recent meeting between the event organizer, Mr. Daniel Ojijo and Mr. James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing & Urban Development, the Minister said that affordable housing for the middle to low income earners is a most critical goal the government seeks to meet. Thus, the Kenya Homes Expo fills the gap between real estate players and the rising middle class.
Mr. Ojijo states that the Expo theme “Homes for All” reflects the growing needs of the real estate market today, where affordable housing is a key highlight. Over the years, the market has greatly been centered on high end properties in up-market suburbs like Runda, Lavington, Karen, Westlands etc, with an immense focus being on the upper middle to high income earners, which has in turn led to oversupply of up-market housing facilities. There has however in the recent times arisen a great interest in upcoming suburbs across the country like Athi River, Kitengela, Ngong, and Ruiru among others.
The expo will this time host a big number of realtors and developers who are targeting this income group that falls between 27 – 45 years of age. One of the exhibitors championing middle income housing and showcasing at the expo is Karibu Homes. According to Karibu Homes Managing Director Ravi Kholi, “the company has entered the market with homes designed specifically to provide hardworking Kenyans with the opportunity to join Kenya’s booming property market. We believe that access to decent, quality housing should be available to all Kenyans, not just the upper echelons of society. Other exhibitors targeting this segment are Soil Merchants, Daykio Plantations, Cytonn Investments, among others. The expo is also balanced with building and support companies that specialize in roofing and building equipment. These include Rafiki Roofing Mabati, Riflotek and Rexe Roofing.
The market trends have changed and now appeals more to the middle income earners. Nairobi is an economic powerhouse of Africa, and in terms of GDP, and Kenya is ranked the 5th biggest economy in Africa, following closely behind South Africa, Nairobi is fast rising as the investment destination of Africa and investors have taken great interest in the country, seeing as Nairobi is a springboard and gateway to East African markets.
