Zanzibar's Kikwajuni families to return to furnished homes within a year
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Fifty-nine households moved off the Kwa Mjerumani site to make way for the $50 million Infinity Hills project will receive larger, fully furnished replacement homes within a year, a Zanzibar House committee was told.
Fifty-nine households that vacated the Kwa Mjerumani area in Kikwajuni to make way for the Infinity Hills development are expected to return to new, fully furnished homes within a year, the Zanzibar House of Representatives was told. The progress was disclosed on 5 November 2026 when the House Committee on Infrastructure, Land and ICT inspected the project in Unguja and expressed satisfaction with the pace of implementation.
The replacement houses will be larger than the homes they replace, with three bedrooms and a separate staff room, and will be handed over complete with furniture. Committee chairman Mihayo Juma N'hunga said site clearance, excavation and initial foundation works had been completed in the first 30 days and that construction of foundations for the 59 compensation houses was under way. He said the committee would inspect every three to four months, adding: “We do not want promises to remain on paper.”
Affected households have been given rental assistance covering two years to ease their relocation during construction. Zanzibar Housing Corporation director general Sultan Said Suleiman said residents were offered two options: financial compensation based on the assessed value of their former homes, or replacement houses within the new development. He said most had accepted and signed agreements with the government, while talks with the remaining few were expected to conclude within November.
Suleiman said the compensation housing block was slightly repositioned to allow an existing mosque to be upgraded into a community mosque, and that the completed development will have two mosques, including one in the commercial section. He confirmed that the land title transfer to the investor was completed on 3 October 2026 after a peaceful handover.
Infinity Developments chairman and chief executive Samuel Saba said excavation for the foundations of four blocks was nearing completion and would be finished within 30 to 45 days, with the entire residential project expected to be complete within two years. The scheme is a public-private partnership between Infinity Developments and Zanzibar Housing Corporation estimated at about $50 million (Sh132.3 billion) and is being delivered in two phases.
Beyond housing, Infinity Hills is planned as a mixed-use development with commercial facilities, educational institutions and recreational space. A key component is GEMS International School of Zanzibar, expected to accommodate up to 1,500 pupils. Suleiman said the first phase was progressing without delays, while the second phase could take longer because negotiations continue with a small number of residents who have not yet vacated. Zanzibar's population is growing by 3.4 per cent a year, according to census figures, increasing pressure on limited land and pushing the government towards higher-density development.