Parliament presses government over stalled affordable housing projects
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Kenya's National Assembly committee has demanded answers from housing officials over stalled Affordable Housing Programme projects, with delays blamed on procurement challenges and contractor capacity gaps.
Kenya's Parliament has demanded answers over delays in the implementation of the government's Affordable Housing Programme, with lawmakers pressing officials to account for stalled projects and explain when they will be completed and handed over to beneficiaries.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works challenged the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and the Affordable Housing Board to provide detailed updates on projects that have stalled, the specific challenges affecting them and measures being taken to get them back on track.
The State Department attributed the delays to procurement challenges, limited contractor capacity, project management shortcomings and the transition to the electronic government procurement system.
Principal Secretary for Housing Charles Hinga told the committee that the scale of the programme had exposed weaknesses in the capacity of local contractors and public procurement systems, but said the experience was providing lessons that would strengthen implementation of future projects.
"What we are looking at is something that is unprecedented in the market," Hinga told the committee, according to Capital FM.