Proposed Housing Bill faces scrutiny as AG Muturi highlights key amendments

Attorney General Justin Muturi has thrown the ball back to Parliament to make necessary amendments to the controversial Housing Bill that will benefit common citizens.

Speaking when he appeared before the joint committees of Finance and Planning and Housing and Urban Planning, Muturi said the bill also concerns counties contrary to the majority leader Kimani Ichungwa’s assertion.

The AG assured the committee that all the issues that were raised by the courts in striking out the Housing Levy have been dealt with in the proposed bill, but challenged them to make the bill even better as they have the mandate to do so.

‘’We are of the view that this bill addresses all the three issues raised by the courts, but like I said these are just proposals and the House has the powers to make further amendments to make the bill  even better.” He said.

The AG downplayed any disagreements between the county governments and the National Government in the implementation of the Affordable Housing Project, saying there are enough laws on how to change public land whether national or county to private land.

“Any such overlap in the discharge of functions within the two levels of government should be addressed by express provisions in the law to provide for consultations, and if there is a potential of conflict the committee is a liberty to put provisions in the law to provide for consultations.”

However MPs raised several issues that are still of concern with Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap worried about the possibility of a person buying several houses through proxies, with Muturi agreeing with him.

“I have also thought about it myself, it’s a real possibility, but the ministry seems to suggest that they will put in place measures to avoid that, but it’s something that as a committee you must tighten the laws to ensure that one person does not purchase many houses using poor people.”

Muturi also told the Committee that the bill must be dealt with by the Senate contrary to Ichungwa’s assertion that the bill does not concern county governments.

“I want to emphasize this because I did note in the memorandum of the bill that the sponsor of the bill said that it doesn’t concern counties, I think we will be cheating ourselves, there is no harm in the Senate also considering this bill and if they make amendments then there can be mediation on the bill.”