Why Senators are demanding accountability on Affordable Housing
National
By
Edwin Nyarangi
| Oct 22, 2026
Conceptualised as a flagship project for the Kenya Kwanza administration, the Affordable Housing Programme launched with an ambitious plan to construct 250,000 housing units annually.
Funded by a mandatory 1.5 per cent housing levy deducted monthly from pay slips, the project was intended to transition millions out of informal settlements while triggering a nationwide jobs boom.
However, behind the state's promotional campaigns and high-profile ribbon-cuttings, a political and legal storm is gathering as the Senate demands a comprehensive audit of the entire financial and operational architecture of the housing plan.
Through Marsabit Senator Mohammed Chute, the Senate has formally directed the Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing to institute a project-by-project probe into the multi-billion-shilling initiative.
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“The Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing should address operational status of County Rural and Urban Affordable Housing Committees in each of the 47 counties, including their composition and respective dates of establishment,” Chute stated.
Senator Chute demanded to know whether these statutory county committees have developed five-year affordable housing investment roadmaps as required under Section 39 of the Affordable Housing Act.
Critics argue that without these localized organs, the national government has acted as a distant landlord—imposing generic high-rise developments on communities without meaningful public participation or county-level input.
“We would also like to have the line ministry produce the exact dates of establishment, official composition, and approved five-year strategic roadmaps for every single one the projects undertaken in the 47 Counties,” Chute added.
While executive reports claim that over 262,000 units are currently under construction nationwide, the actual cost efficiency of these developments remains hidden from public view. Preliminary oversight visits have fueled fears of systemic cost overruns, expensive contract variations, and opaque procurement pipelines favoring politically connected mega-contractors over local Jua Kali artisans.
To establish whether taxpayers are receiving value for money, the Senate is demanding that the Housing Ministry expose the original budget estimates against actual expenditures for every completed site.
“The Ministry of Lands, Public Works and Housing must provide an itemized breakdown of estimated budgets against actual expenditures incurred so far in the Affordable Housing Programme,” Chute said.
The inquiry also addresses growing public concern regarding unit allocations. Market investigations reveal that despite being marketed under the populist banner of providing dignified housing to low-income earners via the Boma Yangu platform, several completed blocks sit empty or are being acquired by wealthy real estate speculators.
In response, the Senate has demanded a definitive census on the occupancy status of all completed units, alongside the exact criteria used to select beneficiaries. Civil society groups have warned that without transparent allocation frameworks, vulnerable citizens will be priced out by deep-pocketed buyers seeking rental income.
Additionally, Senator Chute called for a full disclosure of all pending bills, funding mechanisms, and primary contractors under the program.
For millions of Kenyan taxpayers watching their salaries deducted each month, the upcoming committee report will determine whether the housing levy is building a fairer nation or merely financing an expensive, opaque political monument.