Economic Factors Influence on Funding of the Supply-Side of Housing in Kenya: Case Study Nairobi

Housing plays a very important role in the social economic development of any nation. One set of factors that impacts on the funding of the supply-side of housing are economic factors comprising market forces, cost of inputs, the macro economy and the cost of funding. This paper sets to establish the relationship between economic factors and funding of the supply-side of housing in Kenya and also the effect of the major stakeholders on such a relationship if it exists. Using an explanatory form of approach in research design a survey was conducted where primary data was collected by self-administered questionnaires from a random sample of 212 branches in Nairobi of financial institutions drawn from a population of 43 commercial banks, 9 deposit-taking MFIs and three major financiers of housing development. Factor analysis, correlation analysis and ordinal logit regression were used to determine the relationship between funding of housing and economic factors. Results indicated a negative relationship between economic factors and funding of housing development. It was also established that there exists a positive moderating effect of stakeholders on the relationship between economic factors and funding of housing development. The implication being the government and policy makers should ensure that interest rates and inflation rates are kept at a level that will encourage investments in housing, with the government acting then more as an enabler.