'We were not consulted,' COTU dismisses PS Hinga's claims on housing law

COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Kenya) has distanced itself from a controversy surrounding the Affordable Housing regulations, accusing Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga of making misleading claims about its role in the formulation process.

In a statement dated June 6, COTU dismissed the assertion that it was consulted and participated in the drafting of the regulations guiding the implementation of the Affordable Housing levy.

The union maintained that it had no hand in shaping the current policy and challenged Hinga to prove his remarks.

“As COTU, we have never been consulted either formally or informally, in a development review, or approval of the current Affordable Housing Regulations,” read part of the statement.

“At no point did the Executive Board, which is a legally mandated organ responsible for such organisational decisions, sit to deliberate or resolve to support the said regulations,” said COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli.

Hinga on Friday claimed that COTU was among the stakeholders represented during the formulation of the housing regulations.

“COTU is one of the few organisations that had the privilege of drafting the acts and regulations. In fact, they were represented in person,” he said.

However, COTU dismissed the claims, clarifying that Emest Nadome, a union representative on the Affordable Housing Fund Board, does not equate to the union’s institutional involvement.

The workers’ union argued that no individual can make policy decisions on its behalf without express approval from the Executive Board.

“It is dangerous and frankly dishonest to equate the presence of one individual on a board to the institutional position of COTU. For the record, Nadome already informed the leadership of COTU that indeed we were not consulted in the approval of the said regulations.

The union also challenged the Housing PS to provide the documented evidence of COTU’s participation, asking him to present any meeting minutes, resolutions, or formal correspondence that shows its endorsement.

The union warned that diversion of Affordable Housing funds to build infrastructure defeats the purpose of the housing program by denying workers the homes they were promised.

“If this trend persists, the affordable housing levy would soon be redirected to do other development projects like building roads, dams, and other heavy expense projects while leaving workers exposed without decent housing,” it said.

The union has now urged President William Ruto to urgently intervene and ensure that the Levy remains dedicated to building affordable housing for Kenyan workers.