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The government is mulling using tracts of land owned by the Kenya Railways Corporations to roll out President William Ruto’s Affordable Housing Plan, Housing and Urban Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has revealed.
On Friday, February 17, PS Hinga urged Kenya Railways to give up idle land under its ownership to provide space for the Affordable Housing Project.
The PS who spoke while appearing before the Senate Committee on Housing underscored the need to restructure land utilisation at a time the government was looking to implement the programme to roll out decent housing across the country.
Members of the Senate Committee on Housing and Transport during a retreat session in Naivasha held on February 17, 2023.
Senate
“We need to have a serious conversation among all stakeholders to free up land for development projects,” Hinga told the committee’s members.
“PS Hinga has also urged Kenya Railways to cede land they are not using for the affordable housing program,” read a statement from the State Department of Housing.
He added that the government was exploring the possibility of moving prison facilities out of urban centres and relocating them to places with lesser pressure on land.
The PS underscored the need to fast-track affordable housing projects to boost the government’s plan of ensuring access to decent housing for all Kenyans.
According to him, the availability of space for the projects remained a major obstacle to the ambitious plan, especially in major urban centers.
Further, the PS noted that implementing the Affordable Housing projects would help create employment opportunities in the country, providing a temporary solution to the deteriorating economy.
“Affordable housing program will go a long way in promoting economic recovery by linking MSMEs and Jua Kali sector to these projects and generating jobs for the youths,” the PS noted.
PS Hinga noted that five affordable housing projects were underway across the country translating to an estimated 26,788 housing units.
Also present in the committee’s session was Lands Cabinet Secretary Zacharia Njeru who also took part in the deliberations on possible legislations and solutions to the challenges facing his Ministry.
The government, under the stewardship of President William Ruto, affirmed its intention to invest over Ksh1 trillion in constructing affordable housing units for Kenyans.
President William Ruto at the Bondeni Affordable Housing Project in Nakuru on Monday, February 13, 2023
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William Ruto
