Duncan Questions Stalled G$490M Five Miles Housing Project

A G$490 million housing development at Five Miles Extension in Bartica remains inactive and, according to Opposition MP Sherod Duncan, unfit for occupation, raising fresh questions about the pace and delivery of the Government’s multibillion-dollar housing programme.

Duncan, a Member of Parliament for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), said he and fellow APNU MP Juretha Fernandes returned to the Five Miles Extension Housing Project on September 12, 2026, eight months after their first visit, and found little evidence of progress.

“No additional houses had been constructed, no work was taking place, and none of the allocated homes appeared to be occupied. Meanwhile, the roads, drainage and vegetation had deteriorated further, and there was still no electricity or water infrastructure to support residents.”

The findings are particularly significant because the project has been repeatedly presented as part of the Government’s effort to expand access to housing and develop new communities.

During their January visit, Duncan said, the MPs found fewer than 20 incomplete houses, several of which showed signs of prolonged abandonment. Following their intervention, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal visited the area and allocated a small number of completed houses near the entrance.

Duncan said, however, that the allocation of houses without the basic infrastructure required for occupation cannot reasonably be regarded as the completion of a housing community.

“Allocating a structure is not the same as delivering a liveable home. Families also need water, electricity, proper roads, functional drainage, security and confidence in the quality of the houses being offered.”

Government records indicate that substantial sums have been committed to housing development in Bartica. In 2024, the Ministry of Housing and Water announced the construction of 40 turnkey homes at Five Miles Housing Scheme Phase II, with an estimated investment of approximately G$495 million. The Ministry subsequently announced additional housing and infrastructure works in the area.

The Government has also made housing a major component of its national development programme. The 2026 Budget provided for the construction of 8,000 homes, against the administration’s broader housing commitments. Duncan said that by September, however, the Ministry was reporting fewer than 600 completed houses.

He argued that the figure requires greater scrutiny and should be broken down by location, project and stage of completion.

“That claim must be disaggregated by location and independently scrutinised.”

The physical condition of Five Miles Extension, Duncan said, underscores the distinction between announcing housing projects, allocating structures and actually delivering functioning communities.

He said vegetation has continued to overtake unfinished houses, while defects remain unattended. Drains are reportedly filled with sand and access routes have deteriorated, with larger holes developing along the roads.

“What is presented as a road is little more than a sandy demarcation of where a proper road should be.”

Duncan also questioned whether the limited allocation of houses represented meaningful progress on the wider project.

“The limited allocation exercise appears to have been a public-relations response to criticism rather than evidence that the wider project was progressing.”

That assertion is Duncan’s political assessment and has not been independently established.

The controversy comes as Guyana continues to spend heavily on housing, supported by revenues from the country’s expanding oil sector. Duncan said the Government therefore has greater financial resources than previous administrations and should be held accountable for the timely completion of projects.

During the 2026 Budget debates, he said, he challenged the Government to identify a housing scheme completed according to plan, with roads, drainage, water and electricity fully installed.

“It was hard-pressed to provide an answer.”

Duncan is now demanding that Minister Croal explain the lack of progress at Five Miles Extension, account for the G$490 million investment and provide a firm timetable for completing both the houses and supporting infrastructure.

“The people of Region Seven deserve liveable communities, not abandoned structures and ceremonial allocations.”

Duncan said he and Fernandes will continue visiting housing developments to determine whether Government commitments are being translated into completed and habitable communities.