Housing struggles leave vulnerable families without decent homes

Members of the family of the late Frank Ireri, Habitat for Humanity Kenya and community volunteers take part in the construction of a house for Zipporah Wambui in Muramati village, Nanyuki, Laikipia County, on October 26, 2026. [Amos Kiarie, Standard]

Nearly nine out of 10 Kenyans are cutting back on essential spending to meet housing costs, with four in 10 reducing expenditure on food, a survey report by Habitat for Humanity International has revealed.

The survey found that 89 per cent of Kenyan respondents had cut back on at least one expense in the previous year to afford housing, while 44 per cent were dissatisfied with their current housing situation, compared with 35 per cent across the 22 countries surveyed.

The findings also show that housing costs are affecting family welfare, with 61 per cent of Kenyan parents surveyed worried that housing expenses were limiting opportunities for their children. More than half of respondents, about 55 per cent, feared an unexpected problem could threaten their ability to remain housed.

Against this backdrop, Habitat for Humanity International has opted to push for a new model where the organisation, alongside community members, comes together to build homes for persons who have been identified as vulnerable in society.

Rita Munyae, Habitat for Humanity Kenya’s partnership manager, said the organisation partners with communities to make the dream of homeownership true for many residents who cannot afford to do so.

For example, in Laikipia County, Habitat has partnered with Frank Ireri Legacy Build, an initiative established in memory of the late former Housing Finance managing director Frank Ireri, to mobilise people and resources towards decent, affordable housing for vulnerable households.

Munyae said their projects demonstrate the organisation’s approach of bringing together individuals and institutions to contribute to housing construction through volunteerism.

“By bringing this group of friends and family that are connected, we are pushing one of the ways that we construct, and that is through volunteerism,” she said.

She explained that the model allows people from different backgrounds, including corporate institutions and individual families, to pool resources and contribute labour towards construction.

“People coming from institutions, from corporates, individual families, to come together, pool resources together and give their labour, their sweat equity to be able to construct a home in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Kenya,” Munyae said.

Habitat for Humanity Kenya and Ireri’s family intend to make the initiative an annual undertaking, although specific targets for the number of homes to be built and the resources required have not been disclosed.

One beneficiary of the said model is Zipporah Wambui, a widow raising her own three children while caring for her late sister’s orphaned children.

For Wambui, the prospect of having a home of her own comes after years of hardship following the death of her husband, Moses Dirango, nearly eight years ago.

She said she had struggled to raise their three children while also caring for her late sister's orphaned children, a responsibility that added pressure on her household as she tried to ensure the children continued with their education.

“As a mother of three, it has not been easy for us because it’s almost eight years since my husband left us. We have been through a lot,” Wambui said.

She said the family had been living with her parents, making the prospect of having a place of their own particularly meaningful.

“At least we have hope in life. Because we have been through a lot, and our children are in school, so it has not been easy,” she said.

Wambui expressed gratitude to those involved in the construction, describing the house as a gift that would give her family a place to live.

“At least we have a place to live. We live with our parents,” she said.

Angie Ireri, the widow of Frank Ireri, said the partnership between Habitat and the Ireri Legacy Build initiative was a way of continuing with what her husband started but couldn't finish after death snatched him away. She said he had expressed a wish to participate in a build alongside his sons, but that opportunity did not arise before his death.

“Unfortunately, he was not able to, but today we thought, in his honour and in remembrance of him, I would bring together family and his good friends to come and take part in the build, and to really learn what Habitat for Humanity does,” Angie said.

She explained that the organisation’s work also encompasses education and ways of earning an income, with the broader aim of helping families improve their living conditions.

Angie said meeting Wambui and her family had made the initiative particularly meaningful and strengthened her resolve to continue it.

“It has been such a pleasure to meet Zipporah and her family, for whom we’re building this home. It is very heart-warming to be able to do this with the community as well,” she said

She confirmed that the family intended to make the build an annual tradition, bringing relatives and friends together to support more households.

“We are going to continue this tradition of the Frank Ireri Build, and we look forward to building more houses,” she said.

Habitat for Humanity International commissioned Edelman Intelligence to conduct a survey between April 10 and June 30, 2026. The study covered 22 countries and included 1,000 Kenyan adults in the national sample, with additional respondents recruited to examine low-income households and people living in informal housing arrangements. The additional subgroup samples were not independently nationally representative.