The State Department for Housing and Urban Development is approaching its target of 200,000 housing units per year, Lands, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has confirmed.
Ms Wahome stated that about 200,000 houses are currently under construction across the country, and the government is on track to deliver affordable housing to Kenyans.
She further confirmed that all 47 counties now have an Affordable Housing Programme that is either underway or nearing completion.
“On this programme, the country is on track. The president is on the right track, the State Department for Housing and Urban Development is on course, and we assure Kenyans that every shilling of the levy we collect is being properly utilised.
By next year, the story of the doubting Thomases will be over because the affordable housing units will speak for themselves,” she said.
The CS emphasised that the programme forms part of the State’s broader plan to address the housing shortage while stimulating economic growth and creating employment opportunities.
She revealed that the project has already created direct jobs for some 320,000 youth working in various capacities. Her ministry plans to engage even more youth, including fresh graduates, in housing construction.
Additional opportunities are expected through the construction of Economic Stimulus Project markets in every constituency.
“We are mopping out all the graduates in technical fields to engage them in these projects. We are talking to architects, engineers, landscapers, and artisans and will provide 12 months of training. We have a budget ready, so all graduates will definitely be taken in,” she said.
Ms Wahome added, “The markets are meant to open more job opportunities by creating a different economy that will support small-scale traders and youth. All these will make a big impact on our economy.”
The CS spoke at Kagumo Teachers Training College on Friday, where she attended the institution’s 41st graduation ceremony. She also presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for 680 hostels to be constructed under the Affordable Housing Programme. The project, expected to take 12 months, will address the student accommodation shortage for the TTC’s 1,211 students.
“This is one of the colleges facing strain, with students living outside. We are building hostels through our programme, which we will call the Kagumo Students Village, accommodating 680 students,” she said.
Ms Wahome also announced a partnership with the 100-year-old institution to revive a stalled tuition block, inactive for 15 years due to funding shortages.
“You can imagine a project stalling for 15 years. Without these funds, the government could not intervene, as rising tuition costs strain capitation. I am happy we can partner with the Ministry of Education to address this,” she said.
By Wangari Mwangi and Diana Odipo
