Two National Assembly committees have raised questions about the acquisition of public land for President William Ruto's affordable housing project.
Members of the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works, and the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning called for the amendment of the Affordable Housing Bill 2023, to protect public land.
According to the Members of Parliament, Kenyans are growingly concerned with how the government would compensate land owners, including public institutions, whose property has been earmarked for the project.
County Government officials expressed concern about the fate of land allocated for development projects if the government opts to use it for affordable housing instead.
"This follows concerns over the process of identification and conversion of land for the implementation of the program, that arose across multiple counties during the recent public hearings on the bill," read a statement from Parliament.
In a meeting with the National Lands Commission (NLC), the MPs sought to find out how the commission was to address the glaring loophole.
Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng'eno and the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works asked the commission to clarify the loophole. He noted that if the government was seeking to use public land, the right procedure should be followed.
"We decided to invite you to the Committee after we realised that there’s a need to enrich the Bill so that it can adequately address the matter of land acquisition for the Affordable Housing Program for now and the future," he stated.
If the bill is amended, the MPs noted that it should include a provision for the process and amount to compensate the affected landowners.
Meanwhile, NLC's chairperson Gershom Otachi explained that the commission needed more time to draft the regulations before the implementation of the program.
He also emphasised that it was crucial to address the matter before anyone is affected.
Otachi asked the committees to give the commission until Wednesday to present recommendations.
"The Committee is also expected to meet the Attorney General tomorrow to offer a clarification on among others, whether the Bill has effectively addressed the issues raised by the Court regarding the Housing Levy," read part of the statement from Parliament.
Despite the court ruling that the housing levy was unconstitutional, President Ruto has vowed to continue with the construction of houses adding that it is the will of Kenyans.
The government has earmarked various public land parcels for the project including that belonging to Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
