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{
"id": 1501467,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501467/?format=api",
"text_counter": 62,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "His Excellency the President",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 168,
"legal_name": "Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta",
"slug": "uhuru-kenyatta"
},
"content": "Dear Kenyans, we have a date with an urban future and the only choice we have is what this urban future will look like. Will it be characterized by decent, dignified, safe and liveable neighbourhoods and communities, or will it be haphazard, unsanitary, unsafe slum dwellings? This is the fundamental question that our Affordable Housing plan seeks to answer. Kenya has a serious housing deficit and the cost of housing is beyond the reach of the majority. While the social and economic efforts of this shortage are far-reaching, rent as a component of the cost of living is unsustainable. People are forced to choose between enduring long, punishing commutes to faraway homes or taking up less desirable spaces within reach. Supplying the number of units required to fill the affordable housing gap requires us to undertake construction throughout the country at the rate of 200,000 new housing units every year for 10 years. Many people have asked why they should be interested in affordable housing projects in rural areas. If you look around, you will witness the signs of our urban future. Land sizes are becoming smaller as the population grows in rural agricultural areas. To protect agriculture and food security from the effects of uncontrolled land fragmentation, urbanization must be planned and controlled. The Affordable Housing Programme is, therefore, a vital component of integrated land use planning and development programme that we are implementing throughout the country and in every county. Each unit of housing drives demand for different types of labour, professional services and materials, bringing labourers, masons, bricklayers, artisans, electricians, carpenters, as well as architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, lawyers and real estate economists into the equation. The Affordable Housing Programme is also a major opportunity for manufacturers, developers and other industries. In other words, the economic boost from housing pillar of our Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda is significant and undeniably much needed. As we speak, the Affordable Housing Programme now directly accounts for 164,000 new jobs created over the past one year. Hon. Members, today marks a significant milestone in our journey towards providing decent and affordable housing for all. After two years of hard work under the Affordable Housing Programme, I am proud to announce, and you have seen it in the newspapers, the launch of the sale of the first 4,888 housing units now in completion across 21 social housing projects. These units, comprising studios, one-bedroom, two- bedroom and three-bedroom homes are tailored to meet the needs of our people, offering 1,041 social housing units, 2,133 affordable housing units and 1,714 affordable mid-class housing units in 24 counties. I invite every Kenyan above the age of 18 to join this historic journey towards home ownership, guided by our principle of fairness; one Identity Card (ID), one house. Every eligible Kenyan is encouraged to express interest, visit these developments, view the show houses and engage with on-site staff who are already too willing to assist. The allocation process will be transparent and equitable, ensuring that every qualified applicant has an equal opportunity to own a home. Hon. Members, as part of the Government's endeavour to build a nation grounded in intergenerational equity opportunities and empowerment for all Kenyans, we have The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}