Homa Bay County has been awarded an International Finance Corporation-EDGE certification for its environmentally responsible and resource-efficient affordable housing project approach. The county is implementing a climate-resilient and adaptive approach to its affordable housing project through innovative green building technology. EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies), an innovation of the IFC, is a green building certification system that is focused on making new residential and commercial buildings more resource-efficient. It is the leading green building certification scheme that focuses on efficient water and energy usage and accounts for more than 50 per cent of green-certified buildings in Kenya. Speaking on Wednesday during the certificate handover ceremony in Homa Bay Town, Governor Gladys Wanga said the county’s policies and legislative framework on climate change call for the development of climate-resilient housing. She echoed that the county’s implementation of the affordable housing project contributes to the realisation of the policy position. ‘The EDGE certification confirms that indeed we are not only providing solutions to housing problems, but we are doing so in a sustainable manner,’ she said. Wanga said with the inbuilt design for energy efficiency and water conservation, the affordable housing project complements their efforts at building resilience to the impact of climate change. ‘My administration is committed to developing policy and legislative instruments necessary for the development and implementation of green building projects in the county,’ she added. Wanga was grateful to the EDGE green building market transformation programme for considering her request for support in the EDGE certification process. The governor was also thankful to the National Housing Corporation’s team for their support during the certification process, especially in regards to the provision of information. ‘I also commend them for the excellent designs that have enabled the project to attain the coveted EDGE certification,’ she added. On the other hand, a representative of IFC-EDGE, Evans Kamau, who spoke on behalf of Country Manager Amena Arif, said IFC is also partnering with the NHS to develop more EDGE-certified projects in Kenya. NHC Managing Director David Njuguna noted that Homa Bay is the first county where the corporation has launched an affordable housing programme. ‘I pray that as we continue to implement this project, we will come back and witness not only EDGE-certified designs but also buildings that are also EDGE-certified,’ he stated. He challenged the contractors to ensure the designs are implemented as conceptualised so as to achieve certified projects.
Source: Kenya News Agency