Senator Kajwang', Gladys Boss clash over implementation of housing project

Speaking on Citizen TV’s Tonight Show on Thursday, Senator Kajwang' faulted the President William Ruto-led regime over what he termed as a "misadventure" in the manner in which the project was launched.

Kajwang' opined that the government ought to have taken time to set the environment in which the project would be able to prosper instead of rushing through to slap Kenyans with increased taxes in the name of raising revenue for the project.

“This housing fund thing was a misadventure coming at the wrong time, imposing an additional tax on those people with pay slips over and above the other extra charges which have come across as a result in the increase of VAT, petroleum products etc... I do not expect that this approach is going to solve the housing crisis in this country,” he said.

The Senator argued that a good business environment would create room for more investors to bring in capital for the project to prosper. 

“Many people are saying create the right environment. If the fund managers were sure that they would get the right incentives, they would reduce the cost of construction,” Kajwang' said.

The outspoken lawmaker went on to slam the current regime over unfulfilled promises and calls to be given more time in implementing its campaign promises following Gladys Boss's remarks that it was "too early" to expect results from the regime.

According to Kajwang', Kenya Kwanza has already outlived its stay and has almost spent a quarter of its five-year duration in power and should not be crying foul that it is still early.

He underscored that as of 2023, results should have already been seen and even the jobs promised should have been delivered. 

“William Ruto has a five-year term unless it is renewed; 20% of that is gone. So, you cannot tell us that it is still too early. Many of the great leaders made their greatest impact within the first year of election to office,” he noted.

“Sometimes we want to do the things Singapore did without creating the environment and infrastructure that Singapore had; we want to go to heaven but we do not want to die. Even in housing, you talk to players and they will tell you that money is not the problem, it is the environment which is the problem. We have no respect for property rights.”

Boss, on his part, reiterated that the housing project is a gradual process that cannot be achieved abruptly but would rather require time to plan and secure resources before implementation.

She said: “You cannot start the strategic intervention without foundation. The passage of the act was initially to provide the funding so that the affordable housing program could begin. They cannot begin without funding so when you have the levies that have been now put aside, almost Ksh.30 billion every month, that can be put towards funding, then it spurs growth…to think that you can become the president overnight and immediately change the economy, No!"

“Once the pool of money has been collected, once the land is provided by the government, then they look for investors who will undertake the construction, that has to advertise and tendered for, which cannot be done unless the resources are available”

On the issue of how the project is being run by Kenya Kwanza, Boss differed with Kajwang', underscoring that it is a government project done by the private sector. 

She said the State had set aside the land while the private investors had been contracted to undertake the constructions.

“Affordable housing is being done by the private sector. In most cases, the land is being provided by the government. One of the issues raised by the private sector is that it does not want to get involved in building the houses as it is worried about the uptake,” she explained.

“Government guarantees the uptake. They give you the land, you construct the houses and when you complete the houses, then you are paid.”