The government has reiterated its commitment towards the construction of 200 housing units in each of the 290 constituencies across the country.
State Department for Housing and Urban Development PS Charles Hinga said the Affordable Housing Programme is not a preserve of Nairobi and its environs and assured it would be rolled out in constituencies.
“So far, the government has awarded 17 contracts in Lot One for development and advertised a further 35 in Lot Two,” the PS stated.
The PS spoke during a breakaway session at the devolution conference in Uasin Gishu dubbed ‘The Constitutional Right to Housing; A Reflection of the Past 10 Years of Devolution.’
Hinga further noted that construction of over 30,000 housing units for the police is also on course.
“A majority of officers live in deplorable conditions yet they have a right to decent and affordable housing,” he added.
At the same time, Hinga stated that the government is in the process of building 214,000 housing units for university students where there is a demand of 640,000.
The PS said Kenya has one of the highest income inequalities in the World and as a result, a majority of the population can’t afford to own a house.
Hinga added that the housing programme will bring along employment opportunities for the youth and women in construction, the Jua Kali sector among other enterprises.
“We are where we are because we left the housing problem to the private sector, we stopped funding National Housing Corporation which was behind estates like Jericho, Ziwani and Buruburu among others,” he explained.
The private sector provides housing for only three per cent of the population and with the high cost of land and construction materials and lack of financing, home ownership has been a dream for most Kenyans.
The situation has resulted in the rapid spread of informal settlements in the country.
Kitui Governor Julius Malombe assured that counties will continue to partner with the national government to make Affordable Housing Programme a reality.
He lauded the ongoing collaborations on upgrading informal settlements through the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Programme (KISIP) and emphasised that the houses should benefit low-income groups.
Hinga said the Affordable Housing Programme will cure inequality by providing a platform for hustlers to own homes.