Uasin Gishu County residents are supporting the Affordable Housing Project, ensuring Kenyans, regardless of background, have decent urban housing and sufficient farm space for agricultural production.
In an interview with the Chairman, of the Finance and National Planning Committee, National Assembly, Molo Legislator, Kimani Kuria, at the side-line of a public participation exercise in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu, he said that most members of the public support the Bill.
He added that there were a few public concerns including a higher 10 percent deposit and potential benefits from County land donations to the National Government for housing projects.
The Affordable Housing Project raises concerns about prioritizing initial inhabitants of poorly-conditioned areas, where other houses are being demolished.
Residents propose a tribunal and housing board, to address housing project conflicts, allowing individuals to seek legal redress instead of lengthy court proceedings to address discontented residents.
The proposal suggests establishing a tribunal to determine where individuals can seek redress if they fail to receive a house after paying their deposit.
The Chairman noted that the AHP sites should embrace green energy and the integration of ICT, adding that there was need to come up with regulations to ensure the constructed houses comply with use of green energy and that the sites are fully connected to the internet.
“Most of them have said they support the Housing Bill, but have said there are some clauses which need to be amended such as ensuring a certain percentage of the Affordable Houses is allocated to the people with disabilities,” noted Kuria.
The Legislator pointed out that they got views from farmers who complained that their farmlands are continually subdivided to accommodate members of the family as part of inheritance hence reducing the areas under cultivation.
Thus, the agricultural land in the country is diminishing due to inheritance, causing fear among the population, that they may not be able to produce enough food in the future.
The residents proposed that certain areas should be identified and designated for agricultural production only, leaving others for Affordable Housing, so that the residents may not end up losing land and the ability to grow and produce their own food as the food basket of the country.
“They don’t want their land to be subdivided further, they want to continue growing maize, wheat, and other crops. They want these houses to be constructed at specific places in urban areas, so that people may live as they go to their farms in rural areas to grow crops,” he stated.
Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor, Engineer John Barorot, said the leaders in Uasin Gishu fully support the initiative, which he said will give enough space in the farmland for agricultural production, which will address issues of food security.
He further clarified that, Uasin Gishu aims to remain a food basket by allowing farmers to live in town while working on rural farms and returning to town.
Barorot called on residents to register for the houses as early as possible through Boma Yangu in order to secure a place to stay in town, leaving enough land for agricultural production and at the same time increasing the efficiency of producing food for the country and beyond.
Senator Jackson Mandago hinted that they are going to conduct sensitization to the grassroots level because the project is going to take place in the six constituencies in the County, and urged the speaker to encourage landowners to shift from selling or leasing land to agribusiness, as it is more profitable and will contribute to the upcoming County Aggregation and Industrial Parks.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
