Mukuru Residents Cry Foul Over Alleged Exclusion From Affordable Housing
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Residents of Mukuru kwa Reuben in Nairobi say houses they paid deposits for under the Affordable Housing Programme were given to other people, after they were told the units were sold out.
Residents of Mukuru kwa Reuben in Nairobi have raised alarm over the allocation of Affordable Housing units, with some claiming houses they had paid for were given to other people.
The residents said they had contributed deposits towards units under the government's Affordable Housing Programme but recently received messages informing them that the units were sold out. One resident said she paid Ksh80,000 for a bedsitter but had not received anything, adding that she was not told who bought the units or what she was supposed to do.
"We only received that message, without any information on who bought them or what we were supposed to do. We were not even given notice," the resident said. Some residents said they had received confirmation messages after making the deposits, leading them to believe they were eligible for the homes, while others took loans to raise the required amounts and are now under financial pressure as they continue to wait for housing.
The complaints come after President William Ruto handed over 4,500 homes to beneficiaries in Mukuru in 2025, with the project expected to deliver 13,248 homes across several phases as part of the government's plan to replace informal settlements with modern housing.
The latest concerns follow last year's protests after Mukuru residents were forcibly evicted from their homes to pave the way for further affordable housing construction. In December 2025, demolitions were carried out in parts of Mukuru kwa Njenga, with residents claiming security officers oversaw the evictions despite a court order barring the move. The residents said the government had promised that the housing project would benefit people from the local community who were displaced.