Jane Warukira Mwangi
4. Key interventions for the housing sector
since independence
Kenya formulated the first comprehensive Housing Policy, Sessional Paper No.5 on Housing Policy in 1966/67. The emphasis was on the government being the main
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provider of housing. The government was ‘to provide the maximum number of people with adequate shelter and a healthy environment at the lowest possible cost’.
The policy advocated for slum clearance and encouraged mobilization of resources for housing development through aided self-help and co-operative efforts. As the population continued growing and the rate of urbanization increased, the government could no longer meet the increasing housing demand.
Subsequently, the Government tried to address the housing challenges through five-year development plans. The goal was to enhance private sector contribution. Hence, from the 1970s to the 1990s, housing interventions were guided by these development plans.
In the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation
2003-2007, the government undertook an effort to restore growth of Kenya’s economy after years of decline. The Economic Recovery Strategy underscored the importance of housing in poverty reduction and employment creation due to its dual role as a basic social right and an economic asset.
During the Economic Recovery period, the government undertook efforts to facilitate various actors in the sector, with the goal of producing an estimated 150,000 housing units annually.
The current National Housing Policy, adopted by the government in June 2004 as Sessional Paper No.4, is yet another attempt to address the housing shortage. The overall goal of this policy is to facilitate the provision of adequate shelter and a healthy living environment at an affordable cost to all socio-economic groups in Kenya.
The Ministry in charge of housing is Figure 1_ Slum Characterisics
47 currently working with the Kenya Bureau of
statistics to start collecting data on housing.
This will also mean alerting Kenyans on the need to provide information. The Ministry recognizes the need for this data to guide our investment and development policies.
This housing policy has produced various programmes and activities, which will be described in the following sections.
4.1 Kenya slum upgrading programme
The aim of this programme is to improve the lives of people living and working in slums and informal settlements. One way of ensuring that the slum dwellers are not bought off by outsiders is to encourage them to form housing cooperatives for purposes of security and tenure. Several cooperatives have been formed by the residents of various slum settlements where the Ministry has commenced projects. A Slum Upgrading and Low-Cost Housing and Infrastructure Fund has also been established to ensure more funding for the programme.
4.2 Revamping of National Housing Corporation & rural housing loans
On the issue of rural housing, National Housing Corporation is now giving loans to residents of rural areas who may wish to develop or to improve their housing. The government has injected additional equity for
better capitalization, cash flows and improving availability of loans.
4.3 Housing sector incentives
To ensure increased participation by the private sector in low-cost housing development, the government has given and continues to give incentives to the private sector. These incentives are meant to encourage the private sector to develop housing for low-income households or to encourage households to save up for housing mortgages. In 2009, the government repealed the Retirement Benefits Act to allow employees to use their pensions as security for mortgages.
4.4 Housing Infrastructure Programme
The Ministry has established a Housing Infrastructure unit. Its main objective is to open up new areas for housing development, and also to complement private sector development with the aim of reducing cost of housing production.
4.5 Low-cost building materials and appropriate technologies (ABTs)
The Ministry of Housing is promoting use of locally available low-cost building materials and appropriate technologies (ABTs) in order to reduce the cost of creating housing. The Ministry intends to establish building
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technology centres in each of the 210 Parliamentary constituencies to promote these uses.
4.6 Estate management and maintenance
The Government is developing a Maintenance and Estate Management policy. The real estate market, as it exists today, lacks coordination and professional standards. A draft Leasing Policy for Government buildings and houses has been finalized. This policy will guide standardization and streamlining of government office accommodation and also help in reducing wastage of office space. The draft has been forwarded to the Cabinet for approval.
4.7 Legislative and institutional framework
The Ministry together with private industry has come up with a draft Housing Bill that creates a National Housing and Infrastructure Fund to facilitate low-cost housing development and related infrastructure. The Bill is awaiting finalization. There is also the Landlord and Tenant Bill, which merges the Rent Tribunal and the Business Tribunal to create one landlord and Tenant Tribunal. The Bill is meant to streamline the tribunal on rental matters. Moreover, the government is now reviewing building laws and regulations that constitute the Building Code. The objective is to create laws and regulations
that are in line with our aspirations as Kenyans in terms of measurements, building materials, technologies and values.
The above interventions have so far not yet translated to mass production of Housing.
There is need for other interventions in other sectors that have an effect on housing.