The Kenya shilling is today exchanging at over Ksh 150 to one dollar. Based on this exchange, a Diaspora Kenyan can start developing a Diaspora University Town (DUT) Townhouse with $75 a month. DUT is currently progressing the development of a Town with 3,778 plots. 3,500 of these plots are for planned townhouses. A person who joins DUT as a developer during the month of November 2023 will start developing a townhouse in one of the plots. The person after getting a loan from DUT Credit Ltd will be putting in about $75 a month.
The capital input, through the DUT Credit Ltd and the townhouse development will run concurrently. For example, as a developer puts in 20 instalments of $75 a total of $1,500 in the next 20 months; the townhouse construction and infrastructure can be completed in the same period. The total production cost is set at Ksh 7 million about $46,700 for the completed house.
In the above example, the developer $1,500 capital input would have gone to principal loan repayment $1,200 and DUT Credit Loan interest $300. The production cost $46,700 less the capital input that has gone to the principal of about $1,200 will mean the amount of loan outstanding to DUT Credit Ltd and other financiers would be about $45,500.
Since DUT system is a jobs creation system, once the house is completed, the developer can sell the house at Ksh 7.5 million about $50,000. The buyer will be the person taking up the jobs created at Diaspora University Town. Using the example above the sell amount of $50,000 less the financier’s amount of $45,500 would give the developer $4,500. The developer would get back their $1,500 capital input and make $3,000 return on investment. The developer can put $4,500 to other houses offered by DUT.
The DUT developer system in 10 years looks to achieve about 100,000 jobs and 50,000 units of housing developed in Kenya. A developer using the DUT system can develop 100 units, sell 95 units and own 5 units.
In the next 10 years after the first 10 years the DUT system of jobs creation, houses development and GDP growth will target to achieve 1 million jobs in Africa and 500,000 housing units production. DUT developers who start with 4 townhouses in DUT can at this point cross the 1,000 unit’s development. More importantly, the system will be creating jobs for students who leave Diaspora University every year.
Africa's total GDP is estimated at about $3.1 trillion. This is equivalent to the GDP of the UK that is also recorded at $3.1 trillion. Africa's population of 1.4 billion people is over 20 times higher than that of the UK at 67 million. The Africa land of 30 million sq km is over 120 times the UK land of 245,000 sq km.
The DUT system will grow Kenya GDP and Africa GDP through jobs creation, housing development and achieve well planned settlements that use resources efficiently to sustain the people and the environment.
Dan Kamau is the DUT Project Director. He is formerly of Worcester, MA. WhatsApp Dan at 0743 203 168 or dan@dut.or.ke
