NAIROBI, Kenya Sept 14 – Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has pledged to allocate units under the government’s Affordable Housing Programme to National Police Service officers if elected President.
Sifuna says police officers deserve to benefit from affordable housing, citing their role in maintaining security and order in the country.
Speaking at Jacaranda Grounds during a Linda Mwananchi rally, Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino also commended police officers for what they described as professionalism in managing the movement of the opposition supporters’ convoy through Nairobi.
Sifuna said the police maintained order without disrupting the procession, marking a departure from previous occasions when opposition supporters attending political rallies were tear-gassed.
He said police officers should be supported with better welfare, including access to decent and affordable housing.
Sifuna, however, questioned the effectiveness of the Affordable Housing Programme in addressing Nairobi’s informal settlements.
He challenged President William Ruto to identify a slum in the capital that has been eliminated as a direct result of the construction of affordable housing units.
“When Ruto was elected, the Mathare slum was already there. In Mukuru kwa Njenga, there was a slum. In Kibera, there was a slum.”
“Since you keep saying you have built these houses. I have dared you, Hon. William Ruto, to swear by the Bible and tell Kenyans which slum in Nairobi you have closed down because of the houses you have built,” he said.
According to government figures, the programme has so far delivered over 8000 completed housing units.
He argued that the housing crisis is also an income problem, saying many Nairobi residents lack sufficient disposable income to afford decent housing.
The Affordable Housing Levy requires employees to contribute 1.5 percent of gross salary, matched by a similar contribution from employers.
The government has targeted the construction of 250,000 affordable housing units annually, with the programme aimed primarily at low- and middle-income households.
