• The Kuria Kimani-led committee conducted public hearings on the Bill in Homa Bay town on Friday.
• Legal professionals who attended the session also called for the amendment of the Bill.
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Residents of Homa Bay County have told the Joint Committee on the Affordable Housing Bill, 2023 to institute a raft of amendments on the Bill.
This they said is to address the current challenges facing the housing sector.
The Kuria Kimani-led committee conducted public hearings on the Bill in Homa Bay town on Friday.
A section of residents noted that there is a need to harmonise the Bill with the provisions of the Housing Act, to ensure that the two do not overlap.
"Where there is a need to amend the Housing Act, let us do so rather than create a provision in the Affordable Housing Bill and then end up with conflicting laws," advocate Joshua Nyamori told the committee.
Legal professionals who attended the session also called for the amendment of the Bill.
They want it to clearly outline the roles of the Affordable Housing Board and how they differ from those of the National Housing Corporation.
The professionals also underscored the need to stagger the terms of the Affordable Housing Board Members to ensure that their terms do not expire at the same time.
They further called for the inclusion of professionals working in the building industry such as civil engineers in the proposed board, given that the board’s role revolves around construction.
To represent people with disabilities, it was said that the Affordable Housing Board should have a representative from among them.
They emphasised the need for the infrastructure around the housing projects to be accessible to them.
The proposed Bill does not expressly make provision for a member living with a disability.
While noting that the proposed deposit is way above their means, the participants called for a downward review.
Some members proposed that the program be tweaked to provide loans for the development of rural homes.
Currently, the affordable housing program is concentrated in towns.
“The fears that this program might not benefit the intended beneficiaries have been raised in the public hearings held so far. I want to assure you that the Committee will come up with a mechanism to ensure that the program is not hijacked by cartels. We shall recommend only one housing unit per one KRA PIN," Kuria said.
Calling for prudent use of the housing fund, the participants told the Committee to scale up the provisions stipulating punitive measures for the fund’s misappropriation.
“We are worried that the proposed fines are too lenient for those who misappropriate the funds. Why not make the punishment commensurate with the Economic Crimes Act to create a deterrence for would-be corrupt officers?” a resident posed.
The acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of Tom Mboya University, Elyjoy Micheni proposed that the Bill incorporate a provision for partnership between the State Department of Housing for universities.
“Though students may be able to afford them, they can benefit from decent housing through partnerships with the government. A majority of our students are living in the slums since we do not have enough hostels and they cannot afford to rent out houses within the town,” she told the Committee.
The Committee heads to Vihiga County on Sunday.
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