President William Ruto has received a major boost after Members of Parliament (MPs) approved the Affordable Housing Bill following a successful third reading at the National Assembly.
The MPs passed the Affordable Housing Bill on February 21,2024, with amendments by a simple majority.
The Affordable Housing Bill which was tabled by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah had moved to the third reading stage after a successful first and second reading.
Having sailed through in the National Assembly, the bill is now set to be sent to the Senate for consensus as certain components of the proposed amendments touch on the jurisdiction of county governments.
Earlier, MPs allied to the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party stormed out of the House session after their attempts to propose amendments failed.
The MPs accused President Ruto of high-handedness in forcing through the Bill despite the fact that it’s unpopular with Kenyans who are facing a myriad of problems.
Azimio Mps storm out
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party National Chairman John Mbadi further threatened that they will be heading to court over the Bill.
Also Read: 5 Countries Seek to Emulate Ruto’s Affordable Housing Project
Mbadi lamented that the bill has been pushed down the throats of unwilling Kenyans.
“What Kenyans are witnessing is dictatorship by President Ruto, this is the real Ruto, a dictator who doesn’t care for as long as his interest are served, the housing levy only serves only Ruto’s interest,” he lamented.
The bill had received a smooth sailing on February 20, as legislators handed the head of state a first-round victory in the second reading.
MPs drawn from the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance heeded to Ruto’s call to hasten the passage of the Bill, tapping into the support of their allies from across the political divide to make it a reality.
141 lawmakers voted for the bill against 58 who opposed it after days of debate.
Affordable housing by President Ruto
This came after President Ruto on Monday, February 19 read the riot act to MPs urging them to hasten the passage of the Bill, which according to him is the main way that he shall be able to provide jobs for youths.
The High Court of Kenya in a November 2023 ruling declared the Housing Levy unconstitutional.
Also Read: Blow to Ruto as Court of Appeal Declines to Lift Suspension of Housing Levy
Days after the High Court declared the Affordable Housing Levy unconstitutional, Ichung’wah tabled the Affordable Housing Fund 2023 bill in parliament to create a framework for the fund’s governance.
The bill proposed, among others, creation of a board to govern the fund and other aspects including the fund’s purpose.
According to the Bill document seen by The Kenya Times, the purpose of the fund included provision of money for affordable housing schemes to upscale home ownership.
Following the High Court judgement, the state made an appeal at the Court of Appeal through two applications seeking to suspend the High Court judgement.
However, President Ruto’s ambitious affordable housing project suffered a blow after the Court of Appeal upheld the judgement in a January 26 ruling, barring the state from deducting housing levy from Kenyans.
