The government's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) is receiving fresh criticism days after President William Ruto commissioned 1,080 housing units for Mukuru residents.
Experts from the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), led by President George Ndege, sounded the alarm, arguing that the highly hyped project is prioritizing financiers and contractors over environment professionals, threatening the quality of the houses.
"The current AHP model prioritizes financing and contractors while sidelining built environment professionals. This approach has resulted in poor-quality housing, stalled projects, and an ever-worsening housing deficit," Ndege said.
The experts called for a paradigm shift, urging the government to incorporate technical expertise early in the development phase to ensure affordability does not come at the cost of sustainability.
“The exclusion of architects, urban planners, and other specialists from the planning process has resulted in delays and poorly executed projects,” Ndege remarked.
According to the experts, only one per cent of the affordable houses has so far been delivered, raising an alarm about the speed of the project.
The experts suggested the creation of an Affordable Housing Forum to help plan and design homes more effectively, ensuring they follow set standards and are well-organized.
Concerns were also raised about the transparency and accountability of the Housing Levy, and whether housing units are allocated to those with the greatest need.
The experts argued that the way housing affordability is currently defined does not consider the real financial situations of most Kenyan families.
Instead of setting fixed prices and policies from the top, they suggested a step-by-step approach that allows people to afford homes over time, based on their actual incomes and living conditions.
Speaking on the same, Prof Alfred Omenya warned that the programme could face problems if key challenges are not addressed.
He pointed to South Africa’s experience, where beneficiaries of affordable houses were forced to sell or rent their homes because they lacked basic services such as water and electricity, struggled with high unemployment, and could not afford daily necessities.
He stressed that new homeowners must be educated on the long-term financial responsibilities of owning AHP units. Without proper planning and support, they might end up unable to sustain their homes.
