The government has set a year-end deadline for the Affordable Housing Board to deliver 45,000 housing units, betting on the programme to help ease Kenya's growing demand for affordable homes.
Housing and Urban Development PS Charles Hinga said the board is expected to complete the units by December before adding another 15,000 houses early next year. He said the target forms part of ongoing efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing and reduce the country's housing deficit.
“The affordable housing board is under clear directive to deliver 45,000 units between now and December and a further 15,000 units early next year,” Hinga said.
Hinga said demand for affordable homes has continued to increase even as the programme faces criticism from some quarters. He noted that construction is ongoing on about 300,000 housing units across different parts of the country.
He said Kenya continues to face an annual housing deficit of 200,000 units, driven by an urbanisation rate of 4.4 per cent. To help lower the cost of the houses, Hinga said the projects are being developed on public land, avoiding the high cost associated with acquiring private land.
He also referred to a 2017 World Bank report which found that the average cost of a house was Sh11 million, making home ownership unaffordable for many households.
According to Hinga, the Affordable Housing Board is paying for supporting infrastructure in the projects so that buyers are not burdened with the extra cost.
The PS further dismissed reports suggesting that withdrawals from the Boma Yangu voluntary savings scheme have exceeded deposits, saying available data tells a different story.
“Since the audit cut-off of May 2025: cumulative savings on the platform have more than doubled, from Sh2.47 billion to Sh5.47 billion; registered users have grown from 1.02 million to 1.26 million Kenyans; and at any given time about 30 per cent of registered users are actively saving toward units they wish to own,” Hinga said.
He was responding to reports in local newspapers claiming refunds had overtaken savings after withdrawals worth Sh2.56 billion.
Affordable Housing Board CEO Joe Mutugu said the number of Kenyans seeking homes under the programme continues to rise, showing growing confidence in the initiative.