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{
    "id": 776295,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/776295/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 218,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kioni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13282,
        "legal_name": "Jeremiah Ng'ayu Kioni",
        "slug": "jeremiah-ngayu-kioni"
    },
    "content": "The House still remains the House even when there are no Members. As I was saying, I was involved in the allocation of houses in Umoja and Dandora areas. We had our own experiences during that exercise of allocating houses to the very poor. We need to learn from what came out of those allocations. If these houses are still given to the poor to own them, they will quickly sell them to the market and we would be back to where we are. The people who are going to implement this Policy will need to come up with a way of ensuring that these houses benefit the poor. I do not think that ownership of the houses is the most crucial thing. The issue of provision of housing is what should occupy us more than just allowing them to own the houses. This is because they will own them for a month or two and sell them in the market to the highest bidder. Again, they will be bought off and they will move on and create another slum in the neighbourhood of that housing estate. So, it is important that the Ministry addresses itself to that issue. The other thing that I think is important is the cost of these units. While we appreciate that you cannot put up a house without an architect, a quantity surveyor and an engineer because we do not want to go through the collapsing of units and endangering the lives of the people, it is important we also pay attention to the kind of fees that they charge. What percentage of the cost goes to these fees? I think it is important we started addressing ourselves to that aspect. In the past, we know that a lot of money has been wasted. I am sitting next to one of them who may have been a beneficiary of these huge fees. I could also be a beneficiary in one way or another. I think it is important that we address ourselves to this. If we are going to achieve what is intended by our Constitution, we must address the fees that are charged by the various professionals who are involved in this. I speak as a Member of Parliament for Ndaragwa. Ndaragwa is one of the towns that I would be happy to see a housing project being undertaken. However, it will be difficult to do that because some of the areas we want to go to like Ndaragwa are still under the Forest Act and we will need to de-gazette them, so that we can benefit from this. I come from Nyandarua where we have issues with the people of Laikipia. This is because what used to be our town – called Nyahururu – seems to have been easily taken away. If you can take people’s property away that easily by just walking over and it becomes yours, then it worries many of us. When we come to do this housing project in Nyahururu, it will be interesting to see whether we will be doing it on behalf of the people of Nyandarua or for the people of Laikipia to have a bite at the pie twice. These are issues that the implementing Ministry will have to deal with so that this can be beneficial to the people in the rural areas. It is important that this project is spread to the rural areas. Let us not leave it within urban centres and towns. I know urban centres or cities are the ones that should benefit the most, but we need to see it spread in the rural areas because the housing level in the rural areas is also very poor and we have an opportunity to address the same. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support this housing policy. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}