Viral Twitter Statement That Threatens Ruto's Housing Levy

Even before Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga on Wednesday, May 24, spent one hour and 12 sweaty minutes simplifying the proposed Housing Levy the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) to the media at State House, Nairobi, the levy was already met with resistance from the get-go.

President William Ruto arguably has the toughest job to sell the levy proposals to the Kenyan youth, who make up the largest population demographic in the country, in his quest to honour his campaign promise of delivering affordable housing to Kenyans.

A Twitter user by the moniker W_Asherah on Sunday, May 21 exposed the Head of State to the reality that the country is comprised of empowered youth in the Generation Z era which is embracing digital at a rapid rate, thus he would be required to explain to the country why he is proposing mandatory contributions to the Housing Fund.

The National Housing Fund is a government initiative aimed at providing affordable housing to Kenyans. The fund requires all employees to contribute 3 per cent of their monthly salary and every employee who contributes 3 per cent, to their employer will also contribute 3 per cent to the housing kitty.

"I'm very sorry to our current president. You were handed a country of millennials and Gen Zs as your working population. Sir - you'll have to work hard to explain to us why you want to tax us more. Your agemates are retiring or nearing retirement. Ni sisi ndio tuko (We are the ones here).

"You can't just make pronouncements on the money we work this hard for. Ati uamke uamue (you wake up and decide) - give me 3% of your salary? For what? Why? Ati kujenga nyumba? Ya nani? Kwanini? (To build a house? For who? Why?) What we want to hear is job creation stories. Not creating new funds to be looted," Asherah wrote in a thread.

She demanded the Head of State to explain to the country the steps being undertaken to improve the corporate atmosphere which embraces climate change, citing issues that may arise with the construction of over 200,000 houses annually instead of creating more jobs.

"Seriously - tell me how you plan to make Kenya the go-to place for a green workforce. Tell me to pay 3% to finance capacity development or training for the green transition. Hiyo nitalipa (I shall pay) with a plan in place. Not a house. All that does is cause a construction boom. 

"A construction boom works for you during your five years - enough to get a reelection but it does very little for us in the long term. So let's talk job markets - not just Kenya but worldwide. People are searching for energy and software practitioners. How do we tap into that?" she posed.

She argued that there exists human capital that can be put to good use amidst a section of the existing workforce across the continent coming of age and that the focus should be on the younger generation.

"People. People. People. That's what we have. We have human capital. So how about figuring out how to make use of our people? Everyone else is ageing as our continent comes of age. How about using our RE capacities as labs to train our people so we become the go-to country? 

"Mark you these are people starting off their lives. Our lives. Most of us have grown up poor. We are depended on by our families. So that money you want to take isn't idle money - it's feeding families. I think you forget that - we are our families' social safety nets," she went on.

According to her, the government was financing two key areas all governments neglected; healthcare and education, which are actually needed for the society to function and flourish in years to come and the youth are the ones paying and keeping everything from falling apart, on top of inflation.

Asherah believed that Kenyan politicians were missing the vital aspect of demography in terms of their decision-making for better service delivery across the country.

"This isn't the US where older generations want to have housing conversations. We want to hear about jobs and job creation. You're talking to a 22-year-old country or thereabout. 

"If you're between 20 to 30 and working, I need you to realize that you own this country. You're the people the government is counting on taxing to raise funds for the country. So I need you to start demanding that those funds finance the priorities that matter to you," she appealed to her followers.

She believed that President Ruto's government should address fast and cheap internet, calling upon the youth to seek clarification from government representatives regarding when cheap and affordable fibre optic is coming near them and what they are doing to make laptops affordable for them to buy.

She encouraged young Kenyans to speak up for what really matters to them instead of letting the government assume what they really want.

"Si kila saa (Not every time) politicians just wake up and decide the priorities zenye (that) they've cooked up to create a new fund to eat from. Uliza maswali ya vitu unataka kufanyiwa (Ask questions on what you want done for you). Food. Water. Healthcare. Education. Pick a pain point and ask questions about it. Like-minded people will join. 

"Like mimi mkinikata 3% mpeleke internet Kitale, nitalipa (For instance, if you deduct three per cent of my salary and launch the internet in Kitale, I'll pay). I'm willing to derisk things I'm interested in. I'll use internet infrastructure as I go around the country so I can see how that helps me. But nyumba ya wenyewe? (But someone else's house) Ai? For what and why?" she posed.

Principal Secretary, State Department for Housing and Urban Development, Charles Hinga, during the press briefing on the housing agenda at State House on May 24, 2023. /TWITTER.HUSSEIN MOHAMED