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{
"id": 1375350,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1375350/?format=api",
"text_counter": 218,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I would like to reply to a few of these things. There is the question of ownership of land, transfer of these houses that will be built on public land and how they will be transferred from public to private land. One of the amendments I will move tomorrow is a provision that all the transfers of land from public to private will follow the Land Act. There is also an issue about penalties, in terms of the time when these levies will be remitted to the relevant authority. We will also propose an amendment, so that they are in line with the Tax Procedures Act. The fines or penalties that shall accrue as a result of late disbursement of these funds will follow the rest of the taxes, as enshrined in the Tax Procedures Act. One of the key amendments that we have also proposed is that we have created a Fund. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and implement the Affordable Housing Programme, the Bill proposes to use existing structures of governance including county governments, NHC, State Department for Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works and other private entities that can be involved. The money is collected as levies by KRA, taken into the Fund and then it is disbursed to respective agencies which will implement the Affordable Housing Programme. Once the houses are complete, they will be transferred to the Fund which will distribute them to Kenyans. The issue about whether to buy or rent has also been addressed in the amendments I will move tomorrow. They provide that these affordable houses will be available whether you want to buy or rent. The 10 per cent deposit proposed in the Bill is one of the things that we have proposed to delete tomorrow during the Committee of the whole House. We listened to Kenyans who said 10 per cent proposed deposit is too punitive. It might not be affordable to majority of hustlers who want to be involved in this programme. Lastly, there was fear that these houses would be taken by the rich at the expense of the people who should benefit from affordable housing. Therefore, we will also propose to have one identification card and KRA pin for one house, so that people do not take advantage of this particular Programme to invest at the expense of the hustlers who are benefiting from it. We have also defined clearly what is an affordable house. Most importantly, one of the things that came out from affordable housing public participation is the need for institutional housing. We have a majority of the civil servants who are contributors to this kitty like police officers, teachers, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), lecturers and students’ accommodation. We are proposing to include an additional amendment to include institutional housing in affordable housing. For example, the Technical University of Kenya has a population of almost 20,000 students. However, the number of hostels they have, as an institution, is less than 500. This means slums mushroom around universities. If you go to Kenyatta University, students live in KM. If you go to the University of Nairobi, there is a slum around it. There are slums around all institutions of higher learning. Therefore, the Bill will propose to have a particular provision and percentage going to institutional housing, especially targeting our civil servants, teachers, police officers and most importantly, our students so that they can live near where they school, and have a conducive place to learn and acquire knowledge without going through slums and being mugged at night when going home. There is also the risk of their rental houses being locked and staying out of school. With those many remarks, Hon. Speaker, I beg to support this Bill. During the Committee of the whole House, the joint committees will propose an array of amendments to safeguard some of the things the Members, especially from the Majority Party’s side, have raised. Hon. Speaker: Order, Hon. Members."
}