Deliver housing plan with public participation

Christmas is almost upon us and the fact that Jesus was not born in a home doesn’t deny our right to a home. Two isolated events namely, the court stopping the 1.5 per cent housing tax and the demolition of at least 600 homes in Kayole, reinforce the feeling that the foundations for Jubilee’s housing pillar are not deep enough yet. Until it is, our constitutional right to adequate housing will remain elusive for millions.

One of the most important moments in the bible is the birth of baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Born to Mary and Joseph, Jesus was not delivered at home or in the hotel they had sought a room. He was born in a shelter for animals. Theologians have described first century Palestinian houses as small, dark and with wooden shutters not glass to cover their windows. Shockingly, these types of homes continue to persist across our urban informal neighbourhoods of Mukuru, Mathare, Kondele and elsewhere twenty centuries later. Earlier this week, the indefatigable Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris earned her salary in one single action. She rallied to protect the rights of 2,000 residents whose 600 homes were being demolished across 20 acres of Nyama Villa estate, Kayole.