The State Department of Housing on Tuesday announced plans to hire a team of experts who will be tasked with helping the government develop the framework for the implementation of the affordable housing programme.
In a notice, the department under the Ministry of Lands indicated that the experts will be tasked with marketing the programme, labelled as one of President William Ruto's legacy projects.
They will also engage with media houses during the implementation of the project by appearing for interviews to offer expert opinions, issuing detailed press releases and conducting media briefings.
In the past, the government was criticised for poor communication, failing to appraise the nation on time, and issuing contradictory information on the programme.
Ruto's administration indicated that the experts will be contracted for three years even as the government plans to construct 250,000 houses.
"The State Department is championing the realization of the AHP through the establishment of a robust project delivery and financing framework that will leverage on private-sector funding," read the notice in part.
One of the requirements prospective candidates have to meet is having provided expertise in similar projects for the last five years.
All the experts will also be required to detail their work, preferably in the country and the Sub-Saharan region.
Meanwhile, the government is set to collect the first rounds of funds from Kenyans under the Affordable Housing Levy (AHL) which was backdated to July.
This means that Kenyans will part way with 1.5 per cent of their gross salary for the months of July and August, with employers contributing another equal amount.
As per the estimations of the National Assembly Finance Committee chairperson, Kuria Kimani, the government will collect close to Ksh7 billion monthly and Ksh83 billion annually.
Ruto, other than enhancing the housing sector in Kenya, hopes to create employment through the affordable housing programme.
