Teachers are set to benefit from the government’s Affordable Housing programme after President William Ruto announced that 20 per cent of all units will be allocated to them.
The arrangement was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Affordable Housing Board and teachers’ unions at State House, Nairobi, on Saturday, September 13.
“Witnessed the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding between the Affordable Housing Board and teachers’ unions at State House, Nairobi,” President Ruto said.
“This agreement guarantees that 20 per cent of all Affordable Housing units will be allocated to teachers, a step towards ensuring that those who dedicate their lives to shaping our nation’s future have access to decent homes.”
According to the President, teachers contribute Sh900 million every month, about 13 per cent of the total housing fund; therefore, they deserve decent homes like other Kenyans.
However, the announcement has drawn mixed reactions from Kenyans, who questioned the criteria being used to allocate houses, given that contributors come from different sectors.
On X, user Carlmaury wrote: “Mr President, sir, you may be missing the mark again, especially after you promised the Harambee Stars players. Is affordable housing now a personal token, handed out at will without consulting the stakeholders? What about those of us in the private sector? I pay both the SHA and the housing levy for our company employees, yet decisions seem to be made as if only civil servants matter. Are private contributors just invisible?”
Echoing similar concerns, Thang’i Mkenya posted: “Are they the only people doing the deductions? What percentage is given to people employed in the private sector, who are the first to pay statutory deductions to the government? I can bet that government institutions do not submit the deductions as required, or you are misusing the private sector.”
The government’s shifting stance on the housing programme has added to the confusion.
At the onset, Kenyans were assured that consistent deductions would guarantee home ownership. But earlier this year, Housing Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome clarified that the levy does not entitle contributors to automatic ownership.
“The money you are contributing is not meant to give you a house; it is helping us build the houses. After that, it is up to you to pay for the house,” Wahome said in an interview with NTV.
She added that the units will be accessed through a rent-to-own arrangement.
“We are not building and handing you a house. We are building and allowing you to maintain it through rent. It is like a tenant purchase arrangement—you rent to own,” she said.
Whether teachers will access the houses through the tenant-purchase model or direct allocation remains unclear. For now, what is certain is that 20 per cent of the units have been set aside for them.
