𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐎𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚.

During the Late Francis Ngaru’s funeral, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga made a bold statement regarding President William Ruto’s Affordable Housing Programme. Raila argued that such a project should be managed by county governments, emphasizing the importance of devolution and empowering counties further.

President Ruto’s Affordable Housing Project aims to address Kenya’s housing deficit by delivering 200,000 affordable housing units annually, with a target of one million units by 2027. The government allocated Ksh35.2 billion towards the housing program in the 2023/2024 financial year, with specific funds designated for the affordable housing initiative, social housing and mortgage financing.

“Raila called for a greater allocation of the devolved fund from 15% to 35-40% stating that the current amounts are insufficient for governors to spur development. He also advocated for the government to stay out of county roads and proposed the abolishment of KURA and KeRRA, suggesting that only KeNHA should handle national highways, trunk roads, and feeder roads.”

The former Prime Minister emphasized the importance of allowing devolution to work and increasing the allocation to the devolved fund. He pointed out that blaming governors for issues outside of their jurisdiction such as roads in Nairobi is unfair. Raila has consistently supported devolution and warned ODM lawmakers that party elections would consider their stance on devolved functions.

THE EDITOR’S PICKS!

Raila’s call for counties to take charge of Affordable Housing reflects his commitment to empowering local governments and ensuring effective governance at the grassroots level. As the debate continues, it is essential to consider the implications of centralizing or decentralizing such crucial initiatives for the benefit of all Kenyans.