Kenya targets 45,000 affordable homes for occupation by December, housing board says

At least 45,000 affordable housing units will be ready for occupation in Kenya by the end of the year, according to Joe Mutugu, chief executive of the Affordable Housing Board, who told The Star that more than 303,900 units are now completed or under construction nationwide.

A total of 13,012 units had been completed as of October 2026 and 7,050 were occupied, Mutugu said. He described the programme as segmented by income, with social housing designed for Kenyans earning less than Sh20,000 a month, an affordable category for those earning between Sh20,000 and Sh120,000, and a market segment for higher earners.

Demand data cited by the board suggests the units are being taken up. In Mukuru, where about 13,000 units are being built, the board received more than 25,000 applications, Mutugu said, adding that applicants who miss out in one development can transfer their applications to another. Allocation is automated on a first-come, first-served basis with one home per national identity card, and buyers pay a 5 per cent deposit before allocation on completion.

The programme received a reprieve last month when the Court of Appeal upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Housing Act, 2024, clearing the way for the government to keep collecting the 1.5 per cent housing levy from workers.

The levy and the programme's delivery record remain contested. People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua said last Thursday that Kenyans were already stretching their pay to meet daily needs while a portion of their income was deducted for housing without sufficient explanation of how the funds are used and who benefits. Marsabit Senator Mohammed Chute has petitioned the Senate Housing Committee to establish whether the programme is delivering value for money, with senators seeking a project-by-project audit of expenditure, construction costs, allocation of completed units and management.

Mutugu said up to 90 per cent of buyers already occupying their homes have no difficulty meeting their payments, and that anyone facing challenges can approach the board for a solution. Kenya needs about 200,000 new units a year to meet its housing deficit, according to the State Department for Housing and Urban Development.