Kenya cannot sustain free housing, Passaris says in defence of rent-to-own model
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Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris said the government cannot fund free housing and that the affordable housing programme is built around deposits and rent-to-own payments, citing a Nairobi four-bedroom apartment that rose from KSh6 million to KSh30-40 million.
The Kenyan government cannot sustain a free housing programme, Nairobi County Woman Representative Esther Passaris said, arguing that the affordable housing initiative is designed to help Kenyans gradually acquire homes through affordable payment arrangements.
Speaking on K24 TV's Politalks on Thursday, 12 November 2026, Passaris said: "So you book a house, you pay your deposit, you do your rent-to-own. We cannot sustain free housing. We need to continuously get them income."
She said the government was also seeking to attract private investors into the housing sector, noting that the Housing Levy alone would not be sufficient to meet demand for affordable homes. She said the programme is expected to increase supply and put pressure on private developers to lower prices, particularly in Nairobi where property prices have risen sharply.
Citing her own experience in the market, Passaris said a four-bedroom apartment she bought when she moved to Nairobi cost KSh6 million and now goes for between KSh30 million and KSh40 million. "They're going to come down," she said, arguing that competition from affordable, market-rate and social housing units would make ownership more accessible.
She also pointed to insurance arrangements under the programme, citing a woman from Mukuru who died four months after moving into an affordable housing unit and whose 22-year-old son was given the title deed after the Affordable Housing Board confirmed that insurance had settled the outstanding payment. She said furnishing on gradual payment terms would create additional jobs in furniture production and supply.
Her comments come as President William Ruto's economic adviser David Ndii defends the programme, saying in a post on X on Saturday, 24 October 2026, that it is designed to create an inclusive middle-class society rather than to serve low-income earners exclusively.