Lobby groups in Kisumu want the National Housing Corporation to be the sole institution to oversee the implementation of affordable housing.
Grassroots Trust for Community Organisation coordinator Lawrence Apiyo said the corporation should be given financial support and personnel in different fields to meet the Kenyan housing expectation.
He said empowering NHC will ensure prudent utilisation of housing tax to build decent and affordable houses for residents in the informal settlements.
Besides financial support, he said the Ministry of Housing should focus on policy in collaboration with the National Land Commission to make land available for housing.
Apiyo said Kenyans support housing tax and are only against the lack of institutional framework to meet its purpose.
“To date, it is hard to know how much since July 2023 has been collected, where it is kept and how and where it is being used. We are convinced that the place this fund should go is the corporation. This requires an urgent review of the housing policy and law,” he said.
The coordinator said the housing demand in Kenya has continued to increase due to rural urban migration.
The housing demand has remained at 250,000 annually, against a supply of only 50,000. This translates to an 80 per cent housing deficit every year according to the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance.
Further, according to the State Department of Housing and Urban Development, 83 per cent of the existing housing supply is targeted towards the high-income and upper-middle-income segments.
This leaves only 15 per cent for the lower-middle-income group and a mere 2 per cent for the low-income population.
Apiyo said worse still, 42.2 per cent of Kenya's working population need affordable housing but only 17 per cent of the available housing supply is available to the lower-middle income.
“This is evidence enough of how severe the housing supply is to the citizens of this country calling for a concerted effort towards increasing the housing stock,” he said.
Apiyo said it is saddening and unjust to see a majority of Kenyans still living in informal settlements.
“It is also painful and immoral to see the land on which poor Kenyans live on become the prime target for grabbing leading to forced evictions,” he added.
Apiyo said the housing policy does not address the provision of rental affordable housing, which needs an immediate review of the policy for inclusion.
Speaking during the housing festival in Kisumu, he said many Kenyans migrate to the urban areas to seek opportunities, which has led to a significant growth in rental housing.
According to 2009-2019 Department of Housing and Urban Development’s report puts the growth at 158,000 urban renters against 39,000 urban owner-occupied households.
The report said 89 per cent are delivered almost entirely by the private sector.
The affordable housing festival was aimed at promoting sustained commitment and support for the implementation of affordable housing projects.
The festival was organised by Grassroots Trust in partnership with Kisumu county government and Housing Rights Coalition.