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{
"id": 1373574,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1373574/?format=api",
"text_counter": 81,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
"speaker": null,
"content": "accommodation that has been developed under this programme. That child will graduate from the TUK or whichever university in the city, access social housing and buy a studio unit or a one-bedroom unit in South B, South C, Pangani or even in Kikuyu and become not just a house owner but a person living in a dignified house. He can begin to build his own wealth rather than imagining how they will go back to the village, subdivide their land and build on a 40 by 50 or 40 by 100 plot. Hon. Speaker, I know I could belabour so many points on this Bill, but I want to say it gives us the opportunity that we have all been yearning for; An opportunity not just to provide affordable, decent housing to millions of Kenyans who lack in line with Article 43 of our Constitution, but more importantly, an opportunity to create millions of jobs from engineering, architecture, legal profession, accountants, quantity surveyors, land surveyors, drivers, earth movers and operators. It will also grow our economy in a big way through urbanisation. A population of 2,000 to 3,000 people to be housed in a project of 700 houses or 1,000 houses that will probably accommodate 3,000 to 4,000 people is an opportunity for new markets. It is that organisation that helps economies grow and opportunities that we must look at. I know there is a temptation to speak to what is popular to the middle class, to what we think we are speaking to the gallery and those who have access to our TV stations. It is very tempting to speak to the less than 10 per cent of our population who today have payslips. Let us have the heart to speak to another close to 40 million Kenyans who have no access to job opportunities today. Those job opportunities lie in this Bill. They outweigh the political expediency that we have seen in those who critic this Bill. Three weeks ago, I was happy to listen to our good friend, the former Prime Minister, Hon. Raila Odinga, contend that indeed in the Azimio manifesto they had this Levy at 1.5 per cent. It was during his time as the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development that the housing agenda in this country was conceived. I have also had occasion to listen to the President William Ruto say that what bedevils our country is corruption, vested interests especially among us to our leadership and laziness especially in leadership. We must thank God that today the leadership in this country has no vested interests in the running and management of the Government. Rather, it is determined to make the tough choices and make the hard decisions that will change this country for good. Part of that walk to changing this country for good is the actualisation of this housing agenda, and we all agreed including those of us in the Opposition. That is why the Hon. Leader of the Opposition, His Excellency Raila Odinga, contends that housing, as an agenda, is something that this country must actualise because we are 20 years late. If we are to count from the time Raila Odinga was the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, I think it is more than 20 years ago. That tells you what vested interests the Government has done; the disservice they have done to our country. It tells you how late we are in actualising this agenda; the urgency in enacting this Bill today and having a new Housing Fund Act that will create that legal framework to actualise the housing agenda for this great country."
}