President Ruto Directs Expansion Of Private Sector Involvement In Affordable Housing Program

President William Ruto has issued fresh directives to the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, mandating the enlistment of more private companies and professionals into the Affordable Housing Programme.

Speaking on Tuesday, July 15, during the launch of the Affordable Housing Internship Programme at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto emphasized the critical need to expand partnerships with the private sector. This expansion, he stated, is essential to fast-track the delivery of housing units and meet the increasing demand across the country.

“When we started, we had to start with a few, maybe 39 consortiums,” Ruto explained. “We now need to take that to 60 or 70. We will be bringing on board more companies; engineering firms, architects, design companies, and real estate professionals.”

Ruto acknowledged that the initial capacity of the housing program had been overstretched by the sheer scale of the project, whose primary aim is to not only provide low-cost housing but also generate widespread employment. According to the President, the increased participation of private companies is no longer optional but a necessity to sustain the momentum of the Affordable Housing initiative.

“The Ministry will now embark on the exercise of bringing on board these stakeholders who want to be part of the Housing programme. We have a clearer plan today than we’ve ever had for job creation – and housing is a key pillar of that,” he added.

In a move to further boost the program’s technical capacity, the President also announced plans to onboard 4,000 young graduates from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and universities. These graduates will be attached to private firms participating in the program, where they will gain invaluable hands-on experience under a structured supervision framework. Ruto explicitly required all participating firms to mentor and monitor these young professionals, with the government working to establish a robust support framework to ensure accountability.

Referencing his key campaign promises centered on youth employment, President Ruto highlighted that the Affordable Housing initiative currently employs 320,000 Kenyans. He articulated an ambitious goal to nearly double this number to over 600,000 in the near future, through the implementation of a second shift system and a more aggressive rollout of construction projects nationwide.