President William Ruto has reassured Kenyans that the proposed Housing Fund under the Affordable Housing Programme won't be misused and embezzled like earlier housing programs.
On Wednesday at the Kenya Urban Forum, 2023 launch in Naivasha, Ruto said he would see that the monthly deductions from employee wages that should go to the housing fund are appropriately accounted for.
Ruto announced that a board of directors made up of representatives from the public and private sectors will be established to supervise the Affordable Housing Programme's (AHP) execution through the Housing Fund.
President Ruto said that Parliament will discuss the Housing levy fund and how it will be managed. The oversight board will be representative of both the government and private sector. They are going to ensure that there is a proper accountable mechanism. He added that he knows very well as a politician that if something goes wrong, he will be held to account politically.
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He added that they are going to make sure they have pension funds, the Federation of Kenyan Employers on board, representatives of public servants, trade unions, the government in its broader sense involved and counties to make sure this fund is accountable.
The Head of State emphasized that the Housing Programme was the answer to the nation's housing, job, and manufacturing difficulties and that worries about its governance should not prevent it from being implemented.
Are we going to abandon our housing initiative, which can solve our manufacturing, unemployment, and slum problems, because we are worried that difficulties with governance will arise?
The President dismissed claims that the Affordable Housing Programme was plagued by trust concerns, claiming that most Kenyans are now supporting the goal.
The Head of State noted that all the devolved units had agreed to give land for the development of the affordable housing units and underlined cooperation from the counties.
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