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SPEECH BY H.H. THE AGA KHAN
OPENING CEREMONY OF NEW PARKLANDS FLATS, NAIROBI, KENYA
3:45 pm, SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1961.

..................... . Building Committee and the companies who have helped to create this society for the rapid, intelligent and well-finished work which we have in front of us today. For the families whom we have not been able to provide flats, we discussed this question on my last visit two years ago and I must admit that as yet we still have not found the ideal solution for those families who cannot provide the 10% initial deposit or even those who cannot provide any deposit whatsover.

I hope, however, that those families who are living in this scheme and in the maisonettes which I have just to open will remember that they are able to pay the rents regularly. It will mean that the companies who are providing the money will have much more overall in which to help new building societies to come into being and besides it will help more particularly the building for those poorer families who cannot make the initial deposit. I would call on the users of these maisonettes and on the users of the maisonettes I have just opened, to keep in mind that the more regular they are in their payments, the quicker we will be able to complete our programme and in particular those which we have not embarked upon. I do hope that by the end of next year all our housing societies will have completed their programmes.

The initial year which my grandfather had set was 1960, this would be deadline. We are already a year behind and I do hope that by the end of 1962 the whole of the programme will be complete. I would like to thank on behalf of my community and myself all those who have helped to build and complete these maisonettes. I am sure that the users of these maisonettes will keep them carefully and will take great pride in seeing that the level of maintenance is of the highest quality. I hope that when I come back to Nairobi to make a visit,- surprise visits - just to see how people are keeping these maisonettes

Thank you