Ruto highlights three strong points for housing levy

President William Ruto Thursday made a strong case for his administration’s affordable housing plan.

Ruto who led Kenyans in marking the 60th Madaraka Day celebrations said the housing programme was not only aimed at offering the underprivileged affordable housing but also creating employment for the youth.

He said the Kenya Kwanza vision for the Affordable Housing Programme is premised firstly on the economic objective of creating a million direct and indirect employment opportunities throughout every value chain in the housing development ecosystem.

“A single housing unit is capable of employing 3-5 workers directly, and an additional 8 workers indirectly, in the manufacturing of construction products, transport and logistics”

The second objective of the Affordable Housing Programme he said is to increase the number of homeowners and transition more Kenyans from rent-paying to homeownership.

“The Affordable Housing Programme aims to enable mama mboga access and afford a mortgage and embark on a feasible journey towards home ownership. Beyond the cost of houses, the programme therefore entails an entitlement aspect, which gives priority to the communities resident where the projects are situated” he said.

He said the programme will raise the bar in terms of quality at the bottom.

The third objective of the Affordable Housing Programme he explained is human dignity, and entails the liberation of millions of people who live in unhygienic environments without proper sanitation.

“We did not fight for independence to relegate our innocent compatriots to a life of suffering, exclusion and indignity in slums” he concluded.

Kenyan workers including the employer will contribute three per cent in order to support the government’s low-cost housing programme.