Housing Expert

Result of ServiceThe ultimate result of service will be as follows: 1) Settlement assessment for normative success factors for each of the PINUA streams and beneficiary analysis in Korogocho and Kahawa settlements in Nairobi County. 2) Normative housing designs for Ex-Grogon (Nairobi), Kibuye, Hospital Estate and Muhoroni (Kisumu). 3) Validated designs through participatory processes in Kibuye, Hospital Estate, Muhoroni and Ex Grogon settlements based on the inputs from the communities, development partners and government agencies. 4) Submitted designs in line with statutory processes including (Planning, architectural and structural scheme drawings as guided by government agencies. 5) Final set of detailed architectural, structural, electrical and mechanical construction drawings for the four sites, in adequate detail to enable construction activities and associated components. 6) Final Bills of quantities and estimates of construction in line with the final designs, for Kibuye, Hospital Estate, Muhoroni, Ex-Grogon. 7) Housing piloting delivery approach for incremental houses in Muhoroni, in consultation and validation with the community and the Kisumu County government. 8) Integrated Report containing the consultant’s processes and methods of training, performance evaluation of at least two young professional mentored, and each of the mentee’s feedback on the on-the-job experience gained. 9) PINUA Implementation Strategy. Work LocationNairobi, Kenya Expected duration9 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations agency for human settlements that is mandated by UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 11). UN-Habitat, through the Regional Office for Africa is collaborating with the EU for the development, implementation and scaling up of the Partnership for the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda (PINUA), a joint program among UN agencies to develop models and approaches for filling the gap in affordable housing in the context of Kenya. PINUA is targeting low-income communities living in the informal settlements and peri-urban areas, with the view of diversifying the houses stocks and supply in Kenya and looking into vulnerable group. PINUA has two major components: affordable housing and slum regeneration. The Government of Kenya (GoK) in August 2022 rolled out a plan to develop 500,000 homes from 2022-2027 to implement the constitutional requirements of “accessible and adequate housing, and to reasonable standards of sanitation” (Art. 43(b)). The housing plan was to deal with more than 60% of Kenyans living in inadequate housing. To achieve its plans, the government passed the Affordable Housing Act 2024 that introduced a 1.5% housing levy on income earners and equal matching contribution from employers. It established the Affordable Housing Board to manage the Housing Levy. The Act also highlights the role of the county governments. The segments of the housing excluded from formal supply and funding, have been providing housing for themselves despite the challenges including lack of titles (insecure tenure), lack of planning (informality), poor quality construction methods, poor quality construction materials, environmental degradation and impacts amongst others. They solve their housing problems through self-construction funded by small short-term loans from savings and borrowing. Objective In light of the above, the PINUA Programme is strategically situated to support the government in expansion of Social Housing through exploration of cooperative social rental housing models, management of low-income housing environments, exploration of models for development and management of social infrastructure and services, development of cottage production of eco-construction materials, and mentorship of young professionals and skilled labourers, among others in three proposed pilot sites in two counties; 2 in Kisumu and 1 in Nairobi that benefited from the GoK led World Bank funded KISIP I programme which came to a close in 2020 at the onset of COVID-19. This assignment within the Regional Office for Africa under the Kenya Country Programme and under the direct supervision of the Head of Kenya Programme, the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks but not limited to apply the screening tool developed in earlier assignments to assess the two settlements for normative success factors for each of the PINUA streams, develop normative designs in the pilot sites, including site plans and architectural drawings and subject them to participatory design and validation processes, produce final set of drawings and costing and recommend delivery models and approaches for starter houses in Muhoroni’s Shauri Yako and Shauri Moyo settlements. The consultant will be required to make reference to, support and where possible collaborate with the other PINUA consultants' outputs for better synergy. Duties and Responsibilities To achieve the above-mentioned goal, the assignment includes the following specific objectives: - I. Screening of Korogocho and Kahawa Settlements in Nairobi for PINUA Streams. The consultant shall undertake the following tasks: - Settlement and beneficiary analysis in Korogocho and Kahawa settlements in Nairobi; - Apply the screening tool developed in earlier assignments to assess the two settlements for normative success factors for each of the PINUA streams, namely: incremental housing; cooperative social rental housing; and participatory slum upgrading; and - Make recommendations for suitability of the settlements for the PINUA programme. II. Normative housing designs for Ex-Grogon (Nairobi), Kibuye, Hospital Estate and Muhoroni (Kisumu). The consultant shall undertake the following tasks: - Based on previous studies on beneficiary analysis, construction materials value chains, affordability analyses and government of Kenya programmes, the consultant shall develop normative designs, including site plans and architectural drawings in adequate detail to support Financial Modelling. - The designs should take into consideration appropriate densities and development control requirements by the counties. - The actual designs must address the PINUA streams recommended for each settlement, namely: i. Communal medium rise housing in Ex-Grogon, Nairobi; ii. Cooperative social rental housing in Kibuye and Hospital Estate settlements in Kisumu; and iii. Incremental housing models in Muhoroni, Kisumu. III. Participatory design processes in Kibuye, Hospital Estate, Muhoroni and Ex-Grogon. The consultant shall: - Subject the proposed normative designs to participatory design processes in Kibuye, Hospital Estate, Muhoroni and Ex Grogon settlements; and - Update the designs based on the inputs from the communities and government agencies. IV. Submission Drawings, Construction Working Drawings and Fabrication / Shop Drawings. The consultant shall: - Produce final sets of planning, architectural and structural in adequate detail to enable approval by relevant government agencies for the settlements above; - Produce final set of architectural, structural, electrical and mechanical designs for the four sites, in adequate detail to enable construction activities and fabrication of components, e.g. doors, windows, fittings, etc. V. Construction Costs. The consultant shall: - Develop comprehensive specification of construction materials for all the final designs; and - Develop bills of quantities of materials and construction costs for the final designs, for Kibuye, Hospital Estate, Muhoroni, Ex-Grogon to enable contracting for construction. VI. Construction of starter houses: - In reference to previous studies, especially on the construction value chains in Muhoroni, develop and recommend the housing journey for starter houses in Muhoroni, in consultation with the community and the county government. VII. Undertake training for two young professionals through the delivery of all the outputs. VIII. Strategic Contribution to the Scalability approach and strengthen support and alignment to policy, partnership models and HCPD review processes - Based on the current and previous HCPDs, review and update stakeholders/institutions involved in the implementation of the Habitat Country Programme Document for Kenya in relation to PINUA. - Look into best mechanism of accelerating the pace of implementation. - Develop a PINUA Implementation Strategy. Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Housing, architecture, civil engineering, urban and regional planning, economics or physical sciences relevant to development and management of human settlements or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. - A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in human settlements, project or programme management or related field is required. - At least two years working experience in housing or urban planning or slum upgrading within Africa is highly desirable. - Proven experience in human settlements development fields, projects/programme design and implementation with the UN or other international agencies is also desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of local language is an added advantage. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.