Challenges of Housing Provision for Low Income Earners: The Case of the National Housing Authority (NHA), Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract

This study investigated the challenges faced by the National housing authority (NHA) in alleviating the housing problems of low income earners in Lusaka, Zambia. The research was motivated by the lack of a comprehensive study on the factors that inhibit or enables NHA to fulfill its mandate of providing decent and affordable housing to all income groups. The qualitative approach and in particular the exploratory research design was used. Data collection was via an in-depth interview with the Director for Low cost housing at NHA, who was selected purposively. The data was analyzed thematically. The study established that the major challenge encountered by NHA in delivering its mandate of providing low cost housing units to low income earners is inadequate funding from the Government. These findings are in line with the conceptual framework that holds that housing provision is dependent upon the socio-economic profile of potential beneficiaries. The findings are also similar with other studies that show that public housing grapples with challenges of inadequate funding from the state. The study's recommendations were split into two; those pertaining to policy as well as the ones that are institutional in nature. At policy level, it was recommended that The Zambian Government should ensure that there is an annual allocation for NHA in the national budget in line with the NHA Act. At institutional level it was recommended that NHA should consider inflating the price of its high cost housing units in order to subsidize low cost housing units. It was further recommended that NHA should enhance its linkages with other players, whose activities impact on the housing sector, such as the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO), and the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC), among others.