With bold policies, affordable homes now within reach

For the first time in independent Kenya, the government has pronounced itself decisively on a revolutionary dawn for housing and settlement under the Big Four Agenda.

Shelter is a basic human right. Lack of decent shelter naturally deprives humanity of dignity. Living in deplorable conditions robs human beings of the necessary peace of mind required for self-advancement. Besides, there is an obvious correlation between poor health and poor habitation.

It is therefore commendable that the government is keen on taking more resolute action towards empowering Kenyans to access housing. That be as it may — particularly given that housing is a universal human quest — there is need to make way for broader and closer collaboration between the government, entrepreneurs in real estate, contractors and even tenants.

To begin with, it is important to disabuse tenants — current and would-be — that homeownership need not be daunting. Many would-be homeowners shy away from that prospect of possessing their own homes because on the overall, homeownership is viewed as a preserve of the rich.

Add to that a fledgling homeownership savings culture and high lending interest rates and you have hundreds of thousands who give up on ever owning homes altogether.

The dim view of possibilities of homeownership could explain why according to a CBK Kenya report of 2017 mortgages stood at a paltry 24,085 by the end of 2016. Clearly, some advocacy work needs to be prioritised as a way of encouraging doubting Thomases to think differently about homeownership.

Then there is a general view of landlords most of whom — particularly in sprawling estates — are largely regarded by their tenants as tyrants. It is imperative that the relationship between the two groups with intertwined mutual interests be managed for the greater societal good.

Big Four Agenda

It is the work of the government to formulate and enforce policies for the housing sector. The proclamation of the desire to facilitate the construction of affordable houses under the Big Four Agenda presupposes a point of departure in our national housing policies.

The time to consider the options available to enable the achievement of this noble proposition is now. For instance, we should ask ourselves and, among others, entrepreneurs, landlords, fi nanciers and built environment experts whether there are alternative models of making housing more affordable to the majority.

Cooption of diverse strands of alternatives and options into the housing policy matrix is a necessary undertaking that the government should own early enough to make affordable housing a success. Turning to the question of cost of building, it is clear that only the very well-endowed are capable of owning certain types of homes in our many cities and towns.

Yet stretches of land out in the countryside could be turned into new settlement areas complete with facilities that would encourage scores of people to migrate from Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret. Still on the question of affordability, it is critical that an index—that reveals tenants’ dependability in settling rent dues or taking care of the property he or she has rented — is developed.

Such an index should classify tenants as well as would-be homeowners — on a scale of creditworthiness that in turn would serve to winnow out errant tenants and would-be homeowners alike. But even as we consider the options with regard to affordable housing, we must remain wary of the possibility of a handful of the well-connected and loaded to purchase the houses meant for first time homeowners. 

This is where such outfits as the Urban Landlord and Tenant Association of Kenya come in. The association, for instance, aims at supporting the development of an inclusive, innovative sustainable and competitive landlord-ship/tenancy sector in Kenya and the region.

- The writer is a former PS and chairperson of Urban Landlords and Tenants Association