Kaupa to fix housing mess

By GYNNIE KERO
THE National Housing Estate Limited is in its final death throes and will be gone by the year’s end, according to Housing and Urbanisation Minister John Kaupa.
“The National Housing Estate Limited (NHEL) is going to be no more. It’s going. Finish,” he said.
“They are in the process of transferring everything to the National Housing Corporation.
The NHEL, which is owed K4 million in rentals by tenants, and owes K16 million to service providers, is the business arm of the NHC. It is facing liquidation.
Kaupa yesterday responded to a statement on Wednesday by the newly appointed executive chairman of NHEL Roger Otto that his new team would do its best to prevent the liquidation of NHEL by March 31 next year.
“The decision to liquidate the NHEL will be reconsidered if we improve our performance,” Otto said.
NHEL clarified yesterday it owed K16 million to service providers – not to the two shareholders.
Kaupa said last night he was not even aware of Otto’s recent appointment by the NHEL board.
He said the two shareholders of the NHEL – the Finance Minister and the Housing Minister – were standing by their decision to liquidate the entity because it had failed to achieve its objective.
Kaupa said the NHEL was going through its final transition period to transfer all its assets and staff to the NHC.