President William Ruto has maintained that his government's affordable housing programs will continue as planned despite the Court of Appeal's ruling not to suspend a High Court order that termed the housing levy unconstitutional.
Speaking in Kiutine, Meru County, on Friday, Ruto emphasized that, despite the verdict, he has garnered enough popular support to continue with the housing programs he claims will create thousands of jobs for Kenyan youth.
"Housing mnasema iendelee ama isiendelee? Wale wanasema housing iendelee nione kwa mikono. Si nyinyi ndio kusema Kenya hii. Kuna public participation kuliko hii yenu? Amri yenu ndio amri ya Mungu. Kwa hivyo mimi niko na amri ya kutosha na nitasongesha (housing) mbele," said Ruto.
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This comes after the court of appeal ruled today that the Housing Levy was imposed without a legal foundation.
“The trial Court held that the Housing Levy was introduced without a legal framework. It also held that the levy was targeting a section of Kenyans. In our view, public interest lies in awaiting the determination of the appeal," reads the court ruling in part.
"This is because if the stay sought is granted at this stage, should the appellate Court affirm the impugned decision, then some far-reaching decisions that will have been undertaken pursuant to the impugned laws may not be reversible."