As real estate values continue to rise nationwide, many men, traditionally seen as family providers and household leaders, are struggling to amass sufficient wealth to purchase homes.
A report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released in May painted a very grim picture for men living in Nairobi. For instance, 87.6 per cent of men living in the city rely on rental homes with only 5.4 per cent owning the homes they live in.
The report further showed that out of the over 2 million males who live in Nairobi, only 7.0 per cent jointly own a home with their partners.
KNBS' survey, which polled respondents aged between 15 years and 49 years, showed that Nakuru emerged second on the list with 78.7 of the men not owning houses.
Other counties include; Kirinyaga (76.0), Wajir (72.1), Kwale (71.7), Kajiado (69.0), Trans Nzoia (66.3), Mandera (65.7), Garissa (64.5) and Isiolo (64.0).
The report also showed that, 87.2 per cent of the Bomet men reported owning a house independently followed by Meru (73.2), Kericho (70.7), Machakos (63.6), Tharaka Nithi (59.0), Kitui (58.6), and Elgeyo Marakwet (49.5).
In comparison, Wajir County ranked higher on the list of women who do not own houses at 92 per cent followed by Garissa (91.6 per cent), Nairobi (86.4), Marsabit (85.0) and Laikipia (83.9).
"Among respondents who own a house, 9% of women and 11% of men have a title deed or any other recognised government document with their name on it, while 73% of women and 83% of men do not have any documentation," read the statement in part.
Also 44 percent of women in rural areas own a house compared with 17% in urban areas. 19 percent of women in rural areas have a title deed or recognised documentation for their house compared with 46% in urban areas.
The report, however, did not factor in individuals who reside in Nairobi but have built residential and retirement homes upcountry.
Cost of Building House
According to Integrum, a construction project management company, the cost of building a house ranges between Ksh 41,600 per square metre to Ksh 100,800 per square metre. The figure represents a 20.06 per cent increase over the past year.
The costs are rising at a time when Kenyans are feeling the pinch from the rising cost of living continually eating into household savings set aside for financing long term projects such as family homes.
President William Ruto, however, implemented a 1.5 per cent housing levy with the promise of delivering 200,000 affordable housing units for purchase by Kenyans.
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