Kenya’s affordable housing agenda is set to shift focus from increasing housing supply to expanding access to inclusive and sustainable housing finance, the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC) has said.
KMRC will host the fifth Kenya Affordable Housing Conference (KAHC) next week, bringing together key players to explore ways of widening access to homeownership.
The conference, themed “Scaling the Base: Unlocking Inclusive and Sustainable Housing Solutions”, will bring together national and county governments, financial institutions, developers, pension funds, SACCOs, development finance institutions, investors and housing sector experts.
In a press release today, KMRC Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Johnstone Oltetia said the sector faces a dual challenge of inadequate affordable housing units and limited access to housing finance, particularly among Kenyans earning irregular incomes.
“This year’s theme speaks to both the scale of the challenge and the promise before us: to close the twin gaps that constrain access at scale,” said Oltetia.
He said the conference would seek practical solutions to expanding housing finance while ensuring that housing developments are inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
The two-day meeting will examine innovative financing models, blended finance, development finance institutions and mortgage liquidity facilities as potential avenues for scaling affordable homeownership.
Participants will also discuss land administration reforms, title regularization and improved land governance as measures to unlock investment and accelerate housing delivery.
A key focus will be extending housing finance beyond the formal sector to informal workers, micro-entrepreneurs, SACCO members and other groups traditionally excluded from mortgage markets.
Experts from Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and India are expected to share experiences on inclusive lending models, affordability and financial resilience for low- and middle-income households.
The conference will also explore the role of development finance institutions in mobilising capital and attracting private investment into the housing sector, alongside climate-resilient housing, green buildings and resource-efficient construction.
Technology and innovation will feature prominently, with discussions on modern construction methods, artificial intelligence and other technologies that could reduce construction costs, improve efficiency and accelerate housing delivery.
Delegates will further examine housing market data, including Kenya’s Residential Property Price Index, to better understand affordability, demand, investment trends and the impact of housing interventions.
The conference will draw international perspectives from Japan, India and South Africa on housing finance systems, delivery models and regulatory frameworks, with lessons expected to inform Kenya’s evolving housing agenda.
The programme will also feature experiences from homeowners to highlight the opportunities and challenges faced by households seeking to own homes.
The conference will culminate in the inaugural Kenya Affordable Housing Awards, which will recognise primary mortgage lenders for innovation, partnerships, sustainability, customer experience and efforts to expand homeownership.
According to KMRC, the conference comes at a critical time as stakeholders increasingly recognize that achieving affordable housing requires not only increasing the number of units available but also building a housing finance system that enables more Kenyans to afford them.
By Wangari Ndirangu
