Affordable Housing Solutions - Low Income Housing

Our buildings feature a four-component toilet that can be installed in one day.
Our buildings feature recycled plastic door frames for improved sustainability and also reduced maintenance.
Our services promote female participation and impact.
Our homes are often our beneficiaries' first permanent home.
In 2022, Kwangu Kwako saw its first project in Mombasa to add to Nairobi and Kisumu.

Key Features

On-site workmanship especially in the electrical and plumbing areas can be a challenge, especially in the confined spaces of a toilet area. By taking the majority of the work off site we can improve quality and ensure these key elements are pressure/electrical integrity tested before they leave the production facility. This allows completion of the toilet area in one day vs. one week and ensures that there are no post completion issues. Improved quality also ensures reduced maintenance for the building owner. Other features include:

Off site manufacturing – improved quality control, reduced waste, reducing on site community disruption, etc.
Use of recycled and sustainable materials – recycled plastic wall boards, recycled plastic door frames, exploring others.
50% of the Kwangu Kwako team are female. Only one team member is non-Kenyan.

Social Impact

Originally, Kwangu Kwako built single rooms without internal facilities. As of 2018, demand increased for internal facilities. Installing these on site slowed the build process down and delivering the quality we demand was a challenge. The solution was to manufacture the key components off site so only one artisan rather than 4-5 are needed for the toilet/kitchen installation. Additionally:

Utility walls – the wall dividing the toilet and kitchen area houses all the electrical, water supply, and drainage elements and is set up with just two panels.
The only input is to connect the utilities to the incoming mains. This reduces risk of leaks/electrical issues as all elements are tested and certified off-site
before dispatch. This ensures the longevity of the services and also avoids disruption and inconveniences to the tenant families.
Plastic doors and frames – it is a challenge to obtain quality timber doors and frames at the prices we need. This results in high maintenance costs, etc. Our
solution is again to off site manufacture/source off-site materials. In addition, plastic is not affected by water and does not need repainting.
Our approach ensures dignified and healthy sanitation, washing, and kitchen environment for the tenant families.

Future Plans

Kwangu Kwako is looking to expand its reach within Kenya. Over the next 2-3 years we look to have a presence in other urban centers.

Over the last five years we have manufactured, designed and built homes and classrooms. While increasing these products, over the next 3-5 years we will launch and expand the production of off site manufactured toilets and hollow block manufacturer sales to broaden our impact reach.

By 2027, we are aiming to have built 5,000 homes and 450 classrooms impacting over 75,000 people directly and significantly more indirectly.