RESIDENTIAL HOUSING PROBLEM OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: THE CASE OF ARADA SUB CITY, ADDIS ABABA ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Getting a residential house is one of the necessities for meaningful human existence. It is considered the welfare of human beings due to every human being has the right to be sheltered. However, large numbers of people are affecting by the residential housing problem throughout the world. The problem is very high in less developed countries like Ethiopia. Due to this, the study was conducted on the Residential Housing Problem of Government Employees in Arada sub city Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The overall objective of the study was to assess problems related to Residential Housing by Government Employee residents in the study area. To conduct the research mixed method of research design was employed. Concerning the method of data collection both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussion, and document review from randomly selected 305 sample government employees and 6 purposively selected government officials. The findings of the study show that income is one of the major factors that affect government employees who have not their own residential house. This was due to most of the government employees earn a very small amount of monthly income that restrict them to buy or construct their own house. The finding of the study also indicated that the saving habit of most of the governmental employees was very low because of their income and the increment of cost of living. Of the respondents, 73% were unable to save. According to the study finding lack of housing finance, lack of a piece of land, over the cost of rent house were factors that affect the residential housing problem of government employees. The study also found out government employees were exposed to different socioeconomic problems because of lack of their own residential house like being ineffective in their workplaces, inability to resist the increasing cost of living, lack of freedom to use services like water, electricity, toilet, and excluded from social institution like Edir. The study also indicated that the supply of residential houses for government employees from the government was very low. Based on the analysis the study recommended that the government should continue the construction of condominium houses and distribute it fairly for houseless government employees. The government of Ethiopia should create an opportunity for government employees to get a loan from financial institutions and government employees should develop their saving habits