Nearly half of Kenyans in the dark on cheaper homes plan
A section of the Affordable Housing Project in Mukuru, Nairobi on December 11, 2024.
Nearly half of Kenyans are not aware of the government’s affordable housing programme (AHP), a new report has revealed amid concerted efforts by the State to popularise the initiative.
The Kenya Housing Survey reveals that while 53.5 per cent of Kenyans are aware of the AHP, 46.4 per cent are in the dark.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) conducted the survey across the country and the data was extrapolated on 28.2 million adult Kenyans, finding that 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, 11.3 per cent of the respondents were aware of the affordable housing relief with 16.2 per cent of those who were aware of the affordable housing relief reported to have benefitted from the incentive,” the KNBS report notes.
The report reveals that half of rural dwellers (49.7 per cent) are not aware of the popular initiative while in urban areas, 40.1 per cent of Kenyans don’t know about it.
This raises eyebrows given that the AHP has been the subject of public debate since 2023 when the government started taxing Kenyans in the formal workforce 1.5 per cent of the gross pay to fund construction of the houses.
While speaking on public platforms, government officials led by President William Ruto maintain that the AHP’s target is to construct 200,000 houses every year, though the number is lower in budget books.
Assessing how different counties compare on lack of awareness about the AHP, the report notes that counties in the northern Kenya lead.
In Wajir, 95.2 per cent of locals are not aware of the programme, 93.5 per cent of residents of Lamu don’t know about it, followed by Isiolo (92.8 per cent), Mandera (90.1 per cent) and Garissa (89.3 per cent).
Across the counties hosting cities, Uasin Gishu leads in the list of those with low awareness of the AHP with nearly half of the residents (48.8 percent) not being aware of the programme, followed by Kisumu (39.9 percent), and Mombasa (39.4 percent).
About 38.4 percent of Nairobians are not aware of the AHP and Nakuru closes with a population of 21.1 percent that is not aware of the initiative.
Counties leading on awareness about AHP include Busia with 82.2 percent of its population indicating so, followed by Laikipia (81.4 percent), Trans Nzoia (79 percent), Nakuru (78.9 percent), and Kakamega (78.7 percent).
“With the Affordable Housing Program, the target is to deliver decent and affordable housing to low and middle-income households which is fundamental in creating a stable and healthy environment that supports academic success and economic opportunities, contributing to the overall well-being and prosperity of communities,” KNBS notes in the report.
The statistics body notes that under the AHP, the government has provided incentives to increase homeownership for Kenyans, including exemption of stamp duty for first-time homebuyers, introducing a salary relief for workers being taxed the affordable housing levy and tax deductibility of interest paid on housing loans.
