President William Ruto has stirred talk after claiming that Kenya has successfully relocated slum dwellers into government-built high-rise apartments while keeping their rent unchanged.
Speaking at the 13th Session of the UN-organised World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, Ruto defended his administration’s affordable housing programme, saying it is already transforming lives in Kenya.
He recounted an exchange with Uganda’s former Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, whom he referred to as “Sister Sarah,” who questioned how a person living in a slum could afford life in a high-rise apartment.
“I heard my sister Sarah from my neighbour country in Uganda, and she made a very fundamental statement. She was just wondering how it is possible for a person in a slum to be able to live in a skyscraper on the 11th floor,” Ruto said.
“Let me tell Sarah it is possible. We have done it in Kenya. The cost of a social house on the 11th floor is the same as the cost of a slum dwelling house. They used to pay $40, they now pay $40 on the 11th floor because we have set up the mechanism for that to happen,” he added.
The President said Kenya currently has 273,000 housing units under construction under the Affordable Housing Programme, with 8,000 already handed over to homeowners.
“In the last three years, we are building 273,000 housing units, 8,000 keys have been handed over, 55,000 keys will be handed over before the end of this year, and we have a pipeline of 700,000 housing units,” Ruto said.
He added that the programme has created jobs for thousands of young Kenyans, including architects, electricians, masons, carpenters and quantity surveyors.
Ruto also said the initiative is helping to curb the expansion of informal settlements in Nairobi by replacing them with planned housing developments.
He was attending the World Urban Forum, a global event on sustainable urban development and housing solutions, where Kenya’s programme has been highlighted as part of ongoing urban renewal efforts.
On the sidelines of the visit, Ruto held bilateral talks with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on cooperation in affordable housing, renewable energy, oil and gas, trade and infrastructure development.