Kenya's Housing Crisis Is Now A Governance Problem, HakiJamii Report Finds
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A new HakiJamii report argues that Kenya's housing crisis is driven by governance, accountability and service-delivery gaps rather than a simple shortage of houses, and calls for published data on the Affordable Housing Programme.
Kenya's housing crisis is increasingly a question of governance, accountability and access to basic services rather than a problem of simply building more houses, a new report by HakiJamii has found.
The State of Housing, Tenure and Basic Services Report 2026, Volume IV, was launched on 5 October during World Habitat Day at the Sarova Stanley in Nairobi, supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kenya. It draws on qualitative research in selected settlements in Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa.
The report says social housing will not benefit the people it is intended for if payment requirements remain beyond the reach of households with irregular or unstable incomes. HakiJamii argues that affordability should not be measured by rent or purchase price alone, but must also account for transport, water, electricity, service charges and maintenance.
It raises concerns over ownership-focused housing models, noting some households may need affordable rental options because they cannot sustain the costs of home ownership. The report also says many residents in informal settlements occupy homes through undocumented tenancy arrangements, long-term occupation or historical claims that do not fit formal title systems, and calls for stronger protections and clear procedures for eviction, consultation, compensation and resettlement.
HakiJamii highlights what it describes as a “poverty premium” affecting informal settlement residents, who reported paying more for services such as water and electricity while receiving less reliable supply. In Nairobi it points to redevelopment pressure in settlements such as Mathare and Mukuru, in Kisumu to historical and community land claims, and in Mombasa to complex coastal tenure arrangements and unequal access to basic services.
Executive Director Zipporah Muthama said housing progress should be judged by more than the number of units delivered, and that the focus should also be on whether people can access, afford, securely occupy and sustainably live in adequate housing. The report proposes an accountability test for major housing interventions and calls for the government to publish detailed data on the Affordable Housing Programme, including units planned, under construction, completed, allocated and occupied.