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Over 100,000 affordable housing units under construction across Kenya - CS Wahome

President William inspects the Kibra Affordable Housing Project on November 22, 2023. (Photo: PCS)

By Amina Wako | Monday, March 18, 2024

The aim is to create affordable housing for low- and middle-income citizens while creating job opportunities for at least a million Kenyans, CS says.

Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has announced that over 100,000 affordable housing units are currently under construction across the country.

"The aim is to create affordable housing for low- and middle-income citizens while creating job opportunities for over 1 million Kenyans," CS Wahome said on Monday, during the unveiling of the ministry's strategic plan.

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She highlighted the importance of the strategic plan in guiding the ministry's activities, projects, and programmes over the next five years.

"The strategic plan will not only promote job and wealth creation through affordable housing but also ensure the security of land tenure, enhanced revenue collection, and sector value chains, promoting the country's gross domestic product (GDP) for improved livelihoods."

CS Wahome also reiterated the ministry's commitment to issuing title deeds to protect citizens from land fraud, with the goal being to release documents for all properties by 2027.

Key to the housing plan is the involvement of the National Housing Corporation (NHC), which aims to construct 110,000 units through direct construction and strategic partnerships.

This initiative comes at a critical time - when the country's annual housing supply of 50,000 units falls significantly short of the demand, estimated at 200,000 units per year.

Kenya needs to build 250,000 units annually for at least four years to address its cumulative housing deficit of two million units.

President William Ruto's recent launch of 51,666 units in five months, creating over 168,431 jobs, underscores the government's efforts to accelerate housing development across various regions of the country.