PS Abubakar Hassan strongly defends affordable housing program after Babu Owino’s criticism

NAIROBI, Kenya – Principal Secretary for the State Department of Investment Promotions, Abubakar Hassan Abubakar, has strongly defended the affordable housing initiative after the plan received criticism from vocal Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

According to the PS, the affordable housing program being spearheaded by President William Ruto is essential for the country.

“In Kenya, we have leadership and a leader with a vision, an agenda and an action plan. Affordable housing is a key pillar in the Bottom-up economic Transformation Agenda,” said PS Abubakar.

PS Abubakar observed that in the run-up to the 2022 General Election, the affordable housing plan was in the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Azimio’s manifestos.

“6 million Kenyans are living in the slums. There are 1,500 slums all over Kenya. Housing is a constitutional right,” explained the PS.

Earlier, MP Babu Owino dismissed the Kenya Kwanza government’s affordable housing programme, arguing that Kenyans don’t need houses right now—they need jobs and a lower cost of living.

“You asked me about the issue of constructing affordable houses. I am sorry; I have never supported the idea of building these houses,” said the ODM MP.

Babu Owino reacts to the affordable housing program

Babu Owino reiterated that housing is not an issue of concern to citizens.

“We have the high cost of living, which is a concern to Kenyans. We have overtaxation and unemployment. Just provide people with jobs, and people will construct their own houses,” the MP added.

But in a rejoinder, the PS said that one of the objectives of the Bottom-Up Economic Agenda is job creation.

“This is why the president has come up with four ways of creating jobs for our youth, and one way of creating these jobs is through constructing affordable housing. It is not only about accommodation but also about jobs for the youth,” said the PS.

So far, the PS revealed that the government has created over 300,000 jobs through this affordable housing program.

“So, it is a very important and priority agenda for this country to build houses for its citizens,” said PS Abubakar.

This housing program builds on initiatives from the previous administration under the Jubilee government’s Big Four Agenda, launched in 2017 with the ambitious goal of delivering 1,000,000 housing units by 2022.

The continued emphasis on housing by both the current and previous regimes underscores its importance, as outlined in Article 43(1)(b) of the Kenyan Constitution, which states that “every individual has the right to accessible and adequate housing, as well as to reasonable standards of sanitation.”