President William Ruto, on Friday, November 11, vowed to help pensioners acquire land through the affordable housing plan.
While speaking at the Pension Sector Stakeholders Engagement in Nairobi, Ruto noted that the housing programme would help to avert the risk of conmanship in land buying.
According to Ruto, the affordable housing programme would save pensioners and Kenyans, by extension, from the arduous process of searching for plots of land to buy.
"We want to make sure that we help Kenyans from being conned when looking for land or property in our housing programme. We will give you a ready product, an investment-grade product,” Ruto stated.
The President also participated in the launch of the Sanduku Initiative, an initiative aimed at raising monies for investing in government housing and industrialization projects.
Ruto revealed plans to collaborate with local pensioners in raising funds for infrastructural development from the money accumulated from pensioners' savings.
He noted that the government would consider borrowing from the pension schemes instead of external borrowing, which, he argued, put Kenya on a risky trajectory.
"I am making you another offer, in our infrastructure we have several roads that we want to construct and some that are halfway done," he stated.
"I am ready to borrow from you and I know the ultimate beneficiaries are the citizens of our country," Ruto added.
Further, Ruto promised to clear the arrears owed to the pensioners in terms of pending bills in the next two years.
The Head of State showered praise on the initiative by the pensioners to ensure that the future of employees is secured.
He promised to push for a policy where all employers must establish a retirement benefits plan.
"How proud will you be if you have pensioners not only benefit but contribute to building the nation?” Ruto stated.
