President William Ruto has defended the government's affordable housing programme, warning that attempts to stop it would threaten jobs and leave millions of Kenyans living in poor conditions.
Speaking in Kisumu on Monday, Ruto said Sh44 billion had been allocated to projects in the city, including 12,000 housing units, 20 markets and 12,000 hostel beds.
He said the wider programme had created about 1.1 million jobs across Kenya, making construction a major source of employment for young people.
“I hear some people saying they will stop the housing programme. I want to tell them, please don't have a conversation about housing because you don't understand anything about it,” Ruto said.
The President challenged critics who have proposed ending the housing levy and stopping the construction of affordable homes, markets and hostels to explain what would happen to people currently employed through the projects.
“You say you will stop the housing levy, remove housing funds, stop construction of affordable housing, markets and hostels. I am asking you, if you really have the brains, those 1.1 million young people working under this project, where will you take them?” he said.
Government figures show the scale of the programme has expanded considerably. In August, Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga said more than 280,000 housing units were under construction nationally at a contract value of about Sh731.5 billion.
He said a further Sh300 billion worth of contracts were awaiting approval, potentially taking the total value of housing contracts under construction beyond Sh1 trillion. The programme had generated between 640,000 and one million direct and indirect jobs, according to the PS.
The figures provide context to Ruto's claim of 1.1 million jobs, although employment estimates have varied depending on whether direct and indirect opportunities are included.
The government has also set a target of completing 45,000 affordable housing units nationally by the end of 2026.
Ruto said the programme was not only about home ownership but also about addressing inadequate housing in informal settlements.
Kenya's State Department for Housing and Urban Development estimates that urban areas face demand for about 250,000 housing units annually, compared with provision of only about 50,000 units. It says this leaves an annual shortfall of roughly 200,000 units.
The government document also says more than 90% of residents in slums cannot afford monthly rents above Sh10,000, while about 82% pay less than Sh5,000.
Ruto argued that abandoning the housing programme would leave families in settlements without adequate basic services.
“So when they say we will stop the housing programme, you mean they are telling us to leave Kenyans to continue staying in dilapidated slums where there are no toilets, roads or water?” he asked.
The Affordable Housing Act, enacted in 2024, established the legal framework for the programme and imposed a levy of 1.5% on an employee's gross salary, with employers required to make an equivalent contribution.
The levy and the wider housing programme have remained politically contentious, including legal challenges over their implementation.
Ruto also dismissed claims that the affordable housing units were intended for police officers, saying a separate programme had been established for the security service.
“I hear they also say they will divide these houses and allocate them to the police. Let me tell you, we have planned 20,000 houses for police officers already,” he said.
The President maintained that the national programme was targeting 300,000 housing units and 600 hostels, alongside markets and other infrastructure.
Recent government figures show the programme has also expanded in Kisumu. A September 2026 report listed 6,487 housing units and 4,400 student-hostel beds across projects in the county.
Ruto said the administration would continue with its development agenda in Nyanza, urging Kenyans to judge the government through competing policies rather than ethnic politics.