President William Ruto has warned government employees of dire consequences should corruption scandals emerge in the Affordable Housing Programme.
Speaking during the Signing of the Housing Bill into law at State House Nairobi on Tuesday, March 19, the Head of State asserted that he would not condone any form of corruption citing measures he had put in place to prevent such instances.
Ruto revealed that the government had already agreed on the pricing of building materials, underscoring that there would not be cases of extrapolated prices.
On the other hand, he explained that corruption cannot be allowed in the programme given that Kenyans were making monthly contributions.
He also asserted that corruption would soil the plan which aims to create job opportunities and build affordable houses for Kenyans.
"I want to assure you that I will do whatever it takes to deal with whoever is engaged in corruption. I will protect these resources for the betterment of the people of Kenya.
"I want to give a warning to anybody who steps offline, it is not going to be business as usual. This programme will be corruption-free. We have agreed on the quantities and cost. Unlike in the past when the cost ran over the place, we agreed on the costs, for this one," he stated.
Notably, the Affordable Housing Act stipulates that anybody who engages in the misappropriation of funds in the programme will be fined Ksh10 million.
Additionally, they will be required to pay a mandatory fine which is twice the money that has been misappropriated.
On the other hand, Ruto also directed the Ministry of Lands to develop guidelines that would see social amenities provided to both women and men working at various construction sites in the country.
He made the remarks after a female contractor complained that there were no changing rooms for women.
Likewise, he called Kenyans to support the programme which he indicated was aimed at creating job opportunities for the youth and eradicating slums.
"My commitment is that in the next 10 years, we shall not have a slum in Kibra, we will have an estate. As we create the housing unit we will move people to live in it," he stated.
