Ruto Cautions Govt Employees After Signing Affordable Housing Bill Into Law

President William Ruto has warned government employees of serious consequences in the event they are found to have been caught up in corruption scandals emerging in the Affordable Housing Programme.

Speaking during the Signing of the Housing Bill into law at State House Nairobi on Tuesday, March 19, the President affirmed that he would not tolerate any form of corruption during the program's implementation phase, underlining the measures he put in place to prevent such instances.

He assured taxpayers that they would get value for their money and given that they would be making monthly contributions, no form of corruption would be allowed in the programme.

He even warned Cabinet Secretaries and other senior government officials insisting that they would be held accountable.

"I want to assure you that I will do whatever it takes to deal with whoever is engaged in corruption. I will protect these resources for the betterment of the people of Kenya.

"I want to give a warning to anybody who steps offline, it is not going to be business as usual. This programme will be corruption-free," he stated.

Ruto furthermore revealed that the government had already agreed on the pricing of building materials, hence avoiding cases of exaggerated prices.

"We have agreed on the quantities and cost. Unlike in the past when the cost ran over the place, we agreed on the costs, for this one," he added.

It is worth noting that in the Affordable Housing Act, penalties for misappropriating affordable housing levy funds will become more severe, aligning with the Anti-Corruption Act, and reflecting the committee's zero-tolerance policy towards fund mismanagement.

This is from the fine not exceeding Ksh10 million or jail term not exceeding 5 years to align with Section 48 of the Anti-Corruption Act. Additionally, they will be required to pay a mandatory fine which is twice the money that has been misappropriated.

During the signing ceremony, Ruto was informed that in compliance with the court decision, the Bill establishes a Fund, into which the levy is payable and the Fund shall be managed by the Affordable Housing Board which shall be responsible for the management of monies raised through the Housing Levy.

The Bill also establishes accountability mechanisms including a requirement that the Board shall prepare a five–year investment programme and an annual investment programme.

Both investment programmes shall be approved by the Cabinet and shall consequently be tabled in Parliament. The investment programmes shall guide the allocation of funds for the implementation of the affordable housing programmes. 

Further, the Bill provides for the role of County Governments in matters relating to affordable housing and provides for the establishment of the County Affordable Housing Committees, which shall advise the governor on affordable housing programmes within the county, develop a framework for the attainment of affordable housing in every county in consultation with the Board among other functions. 

All the amendments have been considered to avoid running into trouble during the implementation process.