Ruto warns critics against stopping flagship projects

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President William Ruto has defended the Government’s affordable housing programme, warning that efforts to stop the projects would cost millions of Kenyans jobs and deny families access to decent housing.

Speaking in Kisumu on Monday, Ruto said the Government had allocated Sh44 billion to build 12,000 housing units, 20 markets and 12,000 hostel beds in the city under the wider affordable housing programme.

The President said the initiative was designed to address the country’s housing shortage while creating employment opportunities, particularly for young people. According to the Head of State, about 1.1 million Kenyans had secured jobs through the housing programme across the country.

“I hear some people saying they will stop the housing programme. I want to tell them, please don't have a conversation about housing because you don't understand anything about it,” Ruto said.

He challenged those opposed to the programme to explain where the young people benefiting from construction jobs would go if the projects were halted.

“You say you will stop the housing levy, remove housing funds, stop construction of affordable housing, markets and hostels. I am asking you, if you really have the brains, those 1.1 million young people working under this project, where will you take them?” he asked.

Ruto also dismissed claims that the affordable houses were intended for police officers, saying the Government had a separate housing programme for members of the National Police Service.

“I hear they also say they will divide these houses and allocate them to the police. Let me tell you, we have planned 20,000 houses for police officers already,” he said.

The President said opponents of the programme had failed to appreciate the challenges faced by millions of Kenyans living in informal settlements.

He argued that abandoning the programme would leave families in slums without adequate access to toilets, roads and clean water.

“So when they say we will stop the housing programme, you mean they are telling us to leave Kenyans to continue staying in dilapidated slums where there are no toilets, roads or water?” Ruto posed.

He said the Government could not allow families and young people to continue living in poor conditions when it had an opportunity to improve housing while creating employment.

Ruto said the Government was targeting the construction of 300,000 housing units and 600 hostels across the country. The programme, he added, would also support the construction of markets and other infrastructure.