President William Ruto has announced plans to revive a housing programme launched in Nairobi about 30 years ago, with the government seeking to build 300,000 homes, 600 markets and hostels as part of a wider Sh28 billion infrastructure investment in Migori County.
Speaking in Migori on Wednesday, September 16, Ruto said the government was mobilising the funds needed to restart the housing plan, which will also cover university and other institutional hostels.
He said the projects would provide jobs and business opportunities, with young people expected to benefit from employment created through construction and other related activities.
The announcement comes as the government continues to roll out its Affordable Housing Programme, one of the key development projects under the Ruto administration.
Kenya continues to face a major shortage of housing, with the World Bank estimating the deficit at more than two million units. Annual demand is estimated at about 250,000 new households, while rising urbanisation continues to put pressure on available housing.
Government figures show that more than 280,000 affordable housing units were under construction across the country as of August 2026, under contracts valued at about Sh731.5 billion.
President William Ruto engages the residents of Awendo during his development tour of Migori County on September 16, 2026. PHOTO/PCS
Housing officials said another Sh300 billion in contracts was awaiting approval. The programme was also estimated to have created between 640,000 and one million direct and indirect jobs.
The State Department for Housing and Urban Development says the Affordable Housing Programme is being implemented in all 47 counties, with projects covering homes, markets and institutional accommodation.
Ruto said Migori would also benefit from the same approach, with housing and other projects being linked to investments in roads, electricity, markets and education facilities.
The President said the government had set aside nearly Sh15 billion to improve about 240 kilometres of roads across the county.
As part of the planned road works, Ruto on Wednesday flagged off the construction of the 32-kilometre Kanyawanga-Kwoyo-Madiaba Road in Awendo at a cost of Sh2.25 billion.
The road is expected to improve movement across the area and strengthen links between communities and businesses along the route.
Ruto said the wider Sh28 billion allocation for Migori would cover several areas, including electricity, markets and student accommodation.
The investment includes the construction of 19 markets as well as university and Technical and Vocational Education and Training hostels.
The proposed projects come as Migori seeks to address economic and social challenges affecting its residents. The county had a population of 1,116,436 people and 240,168 households according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, with 42,900 households recorded in urban areas.
People aged between 15 and 35 made up 402,810 of the county's population in 2019, accounting for about 36 per cent of the total population.
The size of the youth population points to the number of residents who could benefit from employment and other opportunities linked to the planned infrastructure projects.
Migori also has a high level of poverty. Data compiled by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis puts the overall poverty rate at about 41 per cent.
The same data shows that 39.7 per cent of young people were affected by monetary poverty in the available county-level estimates, while multidimensional poverty among young people stood at 74.9 per cent.
The multidimensional measure covers different forms of deprivation, including access to education, housing and basic services.
Transport has also been identified as a priority by the county government. Migori's 2023-2027 Integrated Development Plan sets targets for upgrading roads to bitumen standards, as well as expanding and rehabilitating roads that can be used by motorists.
The housing plan announced by Ruto is therefore part of a wider infrastructure programme that brings together construction of homes, markets, roads, electricity facilities and student accommodation.
The State Department for Housing and Urban Development says the Affordable Housing Programme is being implemented across the country, while the Affordable Housing Board's mandate includes affordable and institutional housing as well as related social and physical infrastructure.
For Migori, the immediate task will be to implement the announced road, electricity, market and hostel projects while the government works to secure funding for the proposed housing programme.