Controversial Affordable Housing Bill Becomes Law


President William Ruto Tuesday assented to the Affordable Housing Act 2023. 

The president signed the bill into law after it was passed in both houses of parliament. The law re-introduces a mandatory 1.5% levy on income months after the court declared the deductions illegal, throwing the proponents of the bill back to the drawing board. 

The Head of State assented to the bill at an event held at State House with top Kenya Kwanza leadership in attendance. 

The new law paves way for a deduction of 1.5pc from all employees' gross monthly pay with a similar amount being matched by their employers. The levy is intended to pay for the construction of affordable housing for poorer Kenyans. 


President William Ruto signs the Affordable Housing Bill into law during the event at State House.


President William Ruto has addressed critics of his policies, affirming that mama mbogas (small-scale vegetable vendors) and boda boda operators remain integral to his plans. 

Following the signing of the Affordable Housing Bill into law, Ruto emphasized that the Housing plan aims to enable mama mbogas and boda boda operators to own decent homes. 

He further noted that this initiative will benefit all individuals in the country who are struggling in slum areas where access to basic necessities like electricity, water, and sanitation facilities is challenging. 

Ruto stressed that the Affordable Housing Program is designed to improve the quality of life for marginalized communities at the bottom of the social pyramid.

"Many people have been asking us what happened to your mama mboga and boda boda guys. I want to tell them our boda boda and our mama mboga are firmly in our equation. This program will make it possible for a mama mboga who today pays rent at Sh3,000 to pay it and own a home in Kenya," the president said. 

"It will give a chance to a boda boda guy and every hustler in Kenya who lives in a shack that has no water, electricity or sanitation. It's going to dignify their lives and they too like the rest of society can own a home," he further stated. 


President William Ruto lays the foundation stone for the construction of the Talai Affordable Housing Project in Kericho County on March 14, 2024.

The stickiest question that has arisen however, is the criteria the government plans to use to tax Kenyans and also utilize the collected monies. Secondly, how will the constructed homes be distributed? Some quotas arguing that they will still be a preserve of the financially able, yet the poor have been forced to contribute. 



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