Nearly half of Kenyans unaware of Affordable Housing Plan - report

A new report shows that nearly half of Kenyans are unaware of the government's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP), a key initiative to provide cheaper homes nationwide.

According to the latest Kenya Housing Survey, while 53.5 per cent of Kenyans are aware of the AHP, a worrying 46.4 per cent are still in the dark about the programme.

The survey, conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), sampled adult Kenyans across the country, covering an estimated 28.2 million people. It found that around 13 million Kenyans have no information about the initiative.

"Overall, 53.5 per cent of respondents indicated that they were aware of the affordable housing programme. Nationally, 7.7 per cent of respondents reported that they were aware of the stamp duty exemption for first-time homebuyers, and 11.3 per cent were aware of the affordable housing relief. Of those who were aware of the affordable housing relief, 16.2 per cent said they had benefited from the incentive," the KNBS report said.

The findings highlight a notable gap in awareness between rural and urban areas. In rural regions, nearly half (49.7%) of respondents are not aware of the initiative, compared to 40.1% in urban areas.

This lack of awareness is surprising, given the widespread discussions around the AHP, especially since the government began taxing formal sector workers 1.5% of their gross pay in 2023 to fund the project.

Despite the ongoing debates, government officials, including President William Ruto, have continued to champion the programme, with the target of building 200,000 houses each year.

Lower numbers

However, critics have pointed out that the number of houses proposed in the budget appears lower than the ambitious figures presented publicly.

The AHP has been billed as a programme that will solve the country's housing crisis while providing jobs to about a million people a year, President William Ruto has marketed the idea as a do-or-die proposition.

The housing pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) not only aims to improve the quality of life for people but also serves as an economic stimulus, promoting enterprise growth and job creation.

In the 2023-24 financial year, the government allocated Sh35.2 billion towards the housing programme.

The government also mobilised resources to support the construction of affordable housing units and social housing units.

As part of the housing budget, Sh3.2 billion went towards the affordable housing programme.

The overall target by the President is to construct 200,000 affordable housing units annually which will create between 600,000 and one million jobs each year.

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The Affordable Housing Act 2024, was signed into law in March 2024, supporting the government's social housing program.

The Act introduced a housing levy of 1.5 per cent of gross salary, which will help increase the construction budget