Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has dismissed reports claiming only Kenyans with monthly incomes of Ksh150,000 and below are eligible for the government's Affordable Housing Programme.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Hinga clarified that the report is misleading and does not reflect the true position.
Hinga explained that the claim defeats the very purpose why Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) was developed, as a plan that will deliver decent and affordable housing to low and middle-income households in the country.
"The claim that only Kenyans with monthly income of Ksh150,000 and below are eligible for Affordable Housing is not accurate at all," Hinga asserted.
Hinga elaborated that the main objective of the Affordable Housing Programme is to ensure an efficient and fair distribution of the housing units constructed under the initiative.
This means that no Kenyan will be allocated more than one unit.
However, the report widely circulated on social media platforms accurately highlighted that the Affordable Housing Program in is categorized based on three income groups. The categories are Kenyans earning Ksh19,999, Ksh20,000 to Ksh49,999, and Ksh50,000 to Ksh149,999 monthly.
In April 2023, PS Hinga explained that the social housing plan offers one- bedroom units priced at around Ksh600,000, two-bedroom units going for Ksh1 million and three-bedroom units selling at Ksh1.4 million a piece.
The Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) will be governed by a legal framework created by the Ministry of Lands and Housing.
The framework will enforce a restriction on owners, preventing them from selling their affordable housing unit on the open market until they have owned the unit for a minimum of seven years.
Since its launch, the AHP has shown some progress, with over 33,000 affordable housing units either completed or currently under construction. However, as acknowledged by PS Hinga, there is still much work ahead to fulfill the country's housing requirements.
