Principal Secretary of the State Department for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga has accused the Azimio party and its presidential candidate Raila Odinga of abandoning the housing levy after campaigning for it.
The PS stated that the party had consistently voiced its support for the housing levy during the campaigns and should not change its tune simply because it lost the elections.
Speaking on Monday at Spice FM, PS Hinga recounted a meeting with the former Prime Minister in 2012 where they discussed Kenya’s housing deficit, saying Raila was very passionate about the plight of Kenyans living in informal settlements in the country.
According to the PS, the majority of Kenyans live in rentals because they cannot afford to own.
“We may disagree on how we want to solve a problem but we must start by agreeing we have a problem. 4m Kenyans living in informal settlements. These are Kenyans living in places where they lack basic services, and when the Government comes up with a solution to the same, the affluent and wealthy want to decide for the less fortunate,” he said.
The government is pushing for the deduction of three percent of salaries for all workers to go towards the proposed KES 3.6 billion National Housing Development Fund.
The proposed levy has since kicked up a storm among workers.
PS Hinga said that while they are solving the housing deficit by ensuring decent and affordable units for Kenyans, they are at the same time addressing unemployment among the youth.
“Behind the program, behind the noise, there are people with testimonials. When you believe in something, you will help the likes of the 55 homeowners from Ngokomka who own houses in Parkroad,” he said.
Ngokomka association did 8500 doors for the Park Road project at a cost of Sh120 million and some of the members used their proceeds to buy houses.
The PS welcomed the debate on the finance bill saying recommendations from Kenyans during public participation will be incorporated.
“We have a broken Housing system. We have 1,141 informal settlements in our country while over 65% of Kenyans living in urban areas live in slums,” he said.
“If we leave the housing deficit problem to the private sector, they will only provide for three per cent and informal settlements will continue growing.”
