Kisumu sets the stage for premier housing conference

When President William Ruto inspected the construction progress of an Affordable Housing Project in Kisumu County. [Michael Mute, Standard]

All roads lead to Kisumu as the county prepares for the 4th Kenya Affordable Housing Conference (KAHC 2025), which will be held on 7-8 August at the Grand Royal Swiss Hotel.

The forum, hosted by the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC), seeks to spotlight innovative and sustainable practices across the housing value chain.

The KAHC conference will bring together over 250 public and private leaders under the theme, Revolutionising Housing: Innovation Meets Sustainability.

Kisumu Governor Prof Anyang' Nyong'o, who is also Chair of the Council of Governors Committee on Housing, will lead the opening plenary, which will also feature National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.

"If our housing solutions aren't designed to meet Kenyans where they are, especially the 80% working in the informal economy, we will never close the housing gap," Johnstone Oltetia, CEO of KMRC, said.

He emphasised that the conference, which serves as Kenya's premier platform for public-private dialogue, is not just a policy forum but a place where theory meets practice.

The programme blends high-level plenaries, spotlighting topics such as green affordable housing, risk-sharing facilities, product innovations for housing finance and the role of counties in co-financing infrastructure.

Moreover, the forum will benefit from international delegates who will share best practices from global institutions such as TMRC, PMRC and Cagamas.

The conference is expected to attract delegates from India, Malaysia, Tanzania and Pakistan.