President William Ruto has hit back at Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna over his opposition to the government’s affordable housing programme, challenging the lawmaker to present an alternative plan rather than calling for the initiative to be stopped.
Ruto questioned what would happen to young Kenyans working on affordable housing, markets and student hostel projects if the programme was halted.
“Please, don’t have a conversation about housing, kwa sababu hamuelewi. Akili yenu haiwezi fika mahali ya kujenga anything,” Ruto said.
Ruto questioned where workers linked to the housing programme and related projects would go if the initiatives were discontinued.
“Wale vijana milioni moja nukta moja wanaofanya kazi katika mpango ya housing na markets na hostels, mtawapeleka wapi?” he asked.
Sifuna, who led the Linda Mwananchi movement during a rally in Nairobi on Sunday, September 13, had criticised the housing levy and said the opposition would review the government’s approach to affordable housing if elected in 2027.
The Nairobi senator also pledged that Linda Mwananchi would allocate affordable houses to police officers if the movement forms the next government.
Responding to the proposal, Ruto said the government had already made provision for accommodation for members of the National Police Service.
“Mnasema ati mtagawanya haya manyumba kwa polisi. Wacha niwapashe habari. Polisi tumewapangia manyumba elfu ishirini tayari,” Ruto said.
The President then challenged his opponents to provide a clear alternative to the government’s housing programme.
“You have no capacity. You have no way and you have no capacity to discuss housing because you have no plan, you have no agenda, you have no program,” he said.
Ruto also defended the programme on the grounds that it would help address poor living conditions in informal settlements.
“Yaani mnatuambia Wakenya waendelee kuishi kwa vitongoji duni kule kwa slam, mahali hakuna choo, hakuna maji, hakuna stima, hakuna barabara,” he said.
He further questioned whether proposals to stop the programme would leave women operating businesses in difficult conditions and university, TVET and KMTC students continuing to live in informal settlements.
The exchange puts the affordable housing programme and housing levy at the centre of an emerging political contest ahead of the 2027 General Election.
While Sifuna and other opposition figures have criticised the housing levy and promised to review the programme if they take power, Ruto has continued to defend it as a source of employment and a way of addressing the housing deficit.
“Sisi tuko tayari kushindana lakini tuko tayari kushindana kwa sera. Tuko tayari kushindana kwa akili. Tuko tayari kushindana kwa mpango,” he said.
