Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome on Monday, July 2, dismissed push by Gen Z protesters to repeal the housing levy.
Speaking in the South B area of Nairobi, the CS explained that over 100,000 housing units were already in the pipeline across the country.
As a result, she explained that should the state discontinue the levy, the projects would be considered a dead capital and a waste of taxpayers money.
"I already have over 100,000 housing units. If I stopped at this stage, then that would be a dead capital investment and it is Kenyans' money," she stated.
Wahome was responding to mounting pressure from protesters who termed the housing levy, deducted at a rate of 1.5 per cent, as punitive to salaried workers even as the cost of living skyrockets.
The protesters are therefore expected to demonstrate today (Tuesday, July 2) in an effort to push for reforms.
CS Wahome further told the press that the state was in the process of revising the Land Laws to curb landgrabbers from getting away with state land.
She explained that loopholes in the existing laws were aiding the perpetrators to hive off public land resulting in a lengthy court battle.
"As soon as we finish with the policy, we will be able to look at the Land Law and do an amendment of the law to capture various serious loopholes and gaps that the landgrabbers are using including how we deal with land belonging to the public that was grabbed and developed," she noted.
Two weeks ago, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah withdrew his amendments to the Land Laws Act after consulting with stakeholders.
His Lands Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023 sought to introduce an annual levy on freehold land in urban areas.
"Having consulted with the relevant stakeholders, this is now to confirm that the Majority Party has withdrawn the Bill. Consequently, I request that the House Business Committee be notified of the withdrawal of the Bill and that no further consideration of the Bill should be undertaken," Ichung'wah explained in the letter.
Land ownership has been a thorny issue in Kenya since independence.
