William Ruto Promises To Transform Kibera Into Fancy City Estate: "We're Determined"

• President William Ruto is upbeat his ambitious Affordable Housing Programme will transform the informal settlements into futuristic estates
• In Nairobi's Kibera neighbourhood, constructions are ongoing in phases; for instance, the Soweto East is set to have over 4,000 units
• Ruto's government intends to put up about one million affordable units by the close of the 2027-2028 fiscal year

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi—President William Ruto has restated his government's resolve to rid cities and urban settings of informal settlements that have accommodated lowly Kenyans for years.

He said the plan is to accord the citizenry dignified and decent places to live in.

How many houses will Ruto build in Kibera?

In Nairobi's Kibera locality, the government intends to put up close to 40,000 units in phases by the end of 2025.

"In Kibera, Nairobi County, inspected the ongoing construction of the 4,054-unit Kibera Soweto East Affordable Housing Project. Construction for the 15,000 units Phase II project will commence before the end of the year, while Phase III, for 20,000 units, will start in January next year," the president said.

The state is also stepping up the construction of 40,000 units to house families relocated from riparian tracts in the city where flooding caused loss of lives and damage to property in May this year.

Ruto's administration intends to put up at least one million units by 2028.

To help the government would be the National Housing Corporation (NHC) which outlined its ambition to help the government deliver 250,000 units per year under the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

KSh 3k units in Ruto's affordable housing plan

Earlier this year, Ruto announced that the government would offer affordable houses to ordinary Kenyans at a monthly rent as low as KSh 3,000.

The announcement came after the signing of the controversial Affordable Housing Bill into law, marking a significant milestone in the government's efforts to address the housing challenges in the country.

During the signing of the bill at State House, Ruto engaged in a panel discussion with workers in the construction sector and reiterated his pledge to ensure low-income earners in Kenya own houses.

Recently, the government disputed claims the affordable housing units were a hard sale.

What Ruto's gov't said over unsold units

A local newspaper carried a story in which it indicated that the government is finding it difficult to sell thousands of houses built so far.

The publication based the story on the findings of the Auditor General, who established that houses valued at over KSh 1.2 billion were yet to be sold.

But setting the record straight, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said the audit indicated the realities before Ruto's takeover of power.

He said that reports had shown the uptake of the units was impressive in the recent past.

The spokesperson drew an instance from the projects in Park Road, Nairobi, 1,370 of whose units he claimed were taken by the public.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke