President William Ruto has announced that 20% of affordable housing units will be reserved for teachers under the government’s Affordable Housing Programme.
The Head of State made the announcement on Saturday, September 13, while addressing a gathering of over 10,000 teachers at State House.
President Ruto noted that teachers contribute approximately 13% of the total monthly housing levy collections. He acknowledged the teachers’ request to have 20% of the affordable housing units allocated to them and confirmed that the government would honour that request.
“Of the contributions made to the housing levy, teachers contribute 13%. Of the whole kitty, teachers contribute Ksh900 million every month. We have agreed that instead of allocating only 13%, we will allocate 20% of the affordable housing units to teachers,” Ruto stated.
Ministry to sign MoU with teachers
He further stated that the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development—led by Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome—would formalize the agreement through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with teachers.
“We have agreed to assign 20% to teachers. The CS for Housing is here, the PS for Housing is here, and the desk is here. We are going to sign an MoU between the Ministry and our teachers so we can implement this 20% allocation.”
During the meeting, the Head of State also announced plans to double funding for the promotion of teachers, saying the move will see at least 50,000 teachers promoted every year from the beginning of the next financial year. He said that the government will raise allocations from Ksh1 billion to Ksh2 billion to address stagnation in job groups.
President Ruto noted that 400,000 teachers are eligible for promotions, but only 25,000 are being promoted per year due to financial constraints.
The President added that going forward, the government will allocate additional funds to enable the promotion of all eligible teachers.
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At the same time, the Head of State lauded Kenya’s achievement of raising Ksh600 billion for the Affordable Housing Programme, saying that no lender could have financed a project of such magnitude.
“Today, we have issued contracts for markets, hostels, and housing worth Ksh600 billion. Not borrowed money, but our own resources. That entire housing program you see, not a single shilling has been borrowed.”
Govt to reserve 20 per cent of housing units for police officers
In June this year, the Head of State announced that the government would reserve 20% of the affordable housing units for members of the disciplined forces. The announcement was made during the commissioning of the Central Bank of Kenya Police Housing Complex located in Nairobi’s Industrial Area.
The complex includes 200 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom apartments. He further noted that these officers would benefit from favorable mortgage terms under the programme.
“We will reserve 20 per cent of our housing units under the Affordable Housing Programme for members of the Kenya Defence Forces, the National Police Service, the National Youth Service and the Kenya Prisons Service,’’ he said.
“These disciplined officers will benefit from single-digit interest rate credit facilities as low as three per cent a year to grow the number of homeowners.”
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Earlier, in January 2023, while addressing residents in Nyeri, the President reiterated that prioritizing affordable housing for police officers was part of a broader initiative to improve their welfare and working conditions.
“This will go a long way in delivering our pledge to address the housing shortage facing members of the police service,” he said.
“It will be more efficient by ensuring their children and families are properly catered for by living in decent, affordable housing.”
The government had also announced that over 830 affordable housing units were available for sale across six counties, namely Embu, Homa Bay, Kirinyaga, Bomet, Machakos, and Nanyuki (Laikipia County). These units include studio apartments, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom options.
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