The Government is committed to extending its partnerships with the private sector in order to make the proposed Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) a reality for many Kenyans.

Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Zachariah Mwangi Njeru said our country`s urban population growth has outstripped the development of urban housing and infrastructure, resulting in a distressing backlog of about two million houses, which translates into a housing demand of 250,000 annually, against a supply of 50,000 units, mostly targeting the high end market.

‘Therefore, the Affordable Housing Program (AHP) by the government in partnership with County Governments and the Private Sector couldn’t have come at a better time,’ Njeru stated.

The CS was speaking during an Affordable Housing Retreat (AHR) in Naivasha to deliberate on the implementation plan for the AHP.

The three-day meeting aimed at helping improve and involve some key stakeholders from both the public and private sector in the delivery of the program. It brought together various sector players who support the housing sector such as Water, Roads and National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) among others.

The forum will also give an opportunity to the participants to identify best practices for creating cost effective designs for housing, even as the quality and expected standards are maintained.

They will then come up with a comprehensive report that will map the delivery of the affordable housing program and its key objectives of housing delivery, job creation and development of industries as components of the housing program.

Njeru, who was accompanied by the Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga said the new constitution envisages that every Kenyan has a right to accessible, adequate housing and reasonable standards of sanitation and on the same breadth, it gives the State the responsibility to take legislative, policy measures including setting standards for the realization of these rights.

‘It therefore rests on our shoulders the objective of finding solutions that will not only increase the development of housing stock in the country, but to also avail them at cost effective prices to increase affordability for Kenyans,’ the CS affirmed.

Consequently, Njeru noted that the program will not only provide decent housing for the people, but it will also create significant employment opportunities for youth and women in the construction industry.

The ring fencing of selected items for our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) will create an industry that will see the MSME’s corporatizing, he added.

At the same time, the CS revealed that a recent study by the State Department for Housing and Urban Development identified 1,400 informal settlements in our Country and growing. It also indicated that 65 per cent of Kenyans living in urban areas, live in these slums, where they can’t access basic services and amenities and are prone to rising cases of violence and crime, while paying a premium price to access services such as water and electricity.

Njeru observed that in their intervention measures to bridge the housing deficit, the government has provided land for free, provided tax waivers and provided incentives to the Jua Kali sector, adding that this year alone, they have commissioned several Affordable Housing projects across the country.

He cited the Ruiru, Shauri Moyo, Starehe, Homa bay and Embu housing projects that are at various stages of development, while others are projected to commence soon.

‘Recently, we revamped the Boma Yangu portal under the e-Citizen platform providing all Kenyans with a comprehensive gateway to home ownership. For a Kenyan to be a beneficiary, they must register on Boma Yangu through the USSD code *832# or the web portal and start saving to own a house,’ Njeru added.

He stated that 42 county governments have signed MOUs with the National Government for the AHP projects in their areas.

Last month, President Dr. William Ruto said the plan of creating a new generation of homeowners under the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) was on course despite the emerging opposition voices.

The president noted that the government’s goal is to construct 250,000 houses every year for low income-earners, adding that the programme also targets the over 6.5 million Kenyans living in slums and informal settlements.

Source: Kenya News Agency