The State Department for Housing and Urban Development has commenced a three-day induction programme for its newly recruited interns ahead of their posting to the various affordable housing and institutional housing projects in January next year.
According to the Department’s Deputy Director in charge of Human Resources Joseph Kagiri, the training is targeting some 5,000 individuals who qualified to join the first cohort of the Affordable Housing Programme for a 12-month internship.
He described it as an opportunity for the interns to transition from the academic world to the practical workplace, where they will be expected to apply the theoretical knowledge into practice.
“We started with about 42,000 applicants so we shortlisted 9,000 and we have taken on board over 5,000. This internship will serve as an opportunity for them to apply what they have learnt in their various fields of study to practical use in a real-life environment,” said Kagiri.
Kagiri acknowledged the mismatch between the current education and the industry demands.
He underscored the urgent need for reforms in the education sector and at the same time called for the strengthening of technical courses, which he noted are essential for the construction industry.
“There is a gap in our training, and this is something that we must take seriously. There is a need for the education system to be remodelled and the curriculum to be re-tailored to meet the demands of the market,” stated Kagiri.
Central Region Affordable Housing Coordinator Albert Gakuru said the government is banking on the support of the interns to deliver on its ambitious infrastructure development agenda.
He said that the interns will be posted in the various affordable housing and institutional housing projects being undertaken in the county and sub-counties throughout the country.
While addressing some 126 interns in Nyeri, Gakuru said that the cohort was comprised of graduates from different professions.
He said that beyond the mentorship, the programme is geared towards integrating the interns into the workforce as well as empowering them to become employers.
“We have marketers because Kenyans want more information about owning a house and about Boma Yangu and they are asking these questions, so we are bringing in these men and women to help us with us.
We have others in the building environment, such as Quantity Surveyors, Architects, Civil Engineers, Structural Engineers and we want them to come work with our consultants and our technical team so that they can gain practical knowledge by working on a site, supervising a building, inspecting a building and also guiding the contractors so that they can be able to deliver these projects that we have earmarked,” he said.
“We have people from professions such as Community Development studies and all these professions are coming in because we need to engage Kenyans on the projects so that they understand the projects, the benefits and the impacts so that we can make the projects more people-friendly,” added Gakuru.
The interns are expected to report for duty on January 5, 2026.
By Wangari Mwangi
