Naema Celestine 
JOY SITATI
The public participation debate on the housing bill was held in Nairobi. Protocol residents including different groups turned up in numbers at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre to give their views to the National Assembly committee on housing and urban planning.
The Federation of Kenya Employers in their presentation, advocated for the government to establish mechanisms that will finance the affordable housing project, without further burdening the overtaxed formal employees loaded on to the employers, who can barely manage the high cost of doing business.
FKE has highlighted the potential negative impact of a 1.5% levy on both employees and employers, deeming it discriminatory arguing against setting a precedent of funding social rights through imposed taxes.
Concerns about housing resonated among Nairobi residents who argued that the proposed cost for affordable housing units were excessively high.
Some groups called for the removal of stiff penalties for employers failing to remit house levying deductions. The Nairobi Social Movements and Civil Society Organizations termed the penalty as punitive.
Members of the National Assembly Committee on housing and urban planning are expected to retreat to write a report after completing the exercise of receiving public views at the end of this month.
The public participation in Nairobi on the housing bill comes two days ahead of the much anticipated appellate court’s decision on the government application seeking orders that suspend the high court decision which declared the housing levy unconstitutional.
