‘Kenyans have saved Ksh17B for Affordable Housing’ – Hussein Mohamed
At least 367,000 Kenyans have registered with the government's Affordable Housing project dubbed Boma Yangu, StateHouse Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed has said.
In a statement on Friday, June 30, 2023, Mohamed, however, said that only 33,000 are active savers with 10,538 Kenyans saving a cumulative of Ksh17 billion for the Affordable Housing project as of Thursday, June 29, 2023.
"By Thursday, June 29, 10,538 Kenyans registered on the platform (Boma Yangu), and have saved Ksh17 billion so far. The government has allocated Ksh35.2 billion towards the Affordable Housing program," Mohammed stated.
He said there is space for 160,000 Kenyans who still want to be homeowners through the government's project, which was recently hit with controversy.
"To get services from Boma Yangu, dial *832#. You can start with savings as low as Ksh200. 367,000 Kenyans have registered on Boma Yangu, while 33,000 are active savers," he added.
Affordable Housing levy
The government recently introduced the Housing Levy through the Finance Act 2023, which will see employees contribute 1.5 per cent of their salaries towards the government's Affordable Housing Project.
Despite opposition from a section of Kenyans and the political class, MPs passed the Finance Bill which has been signed into law by President William Ruto.
Initially, President William Ruto had proposed a 3 per cent contribution, which would be matched by employers at the same rate capped at Ksh5,000. The proposal was however dropped after a public uproar.
