State House announced on Monday the postponement of the signing of the Affordable Housing Bill into law, a move contradicting previous assurances from Kenya Kwanza leaders, including the Head of State, who had pledged its signing on March 18.
This delay disrupted plans for a legacy project aimed at annually delivering 200,000 housing units. Over the weekend, Press Secretary Emmanuel Talam extended invitations to media houses, including Kenyans.co.ke, for an event scheduled to commence at 8:00 am.
However, on Monday morning, State House issued a communique stating the postponement of the event without disclosing a new date.
President William Ruto, during a tour on Saturday, had affirmed his intent to sign the bill into law to kickstart the implementation of the housing project, necessitating a 1.5 per cent deduction from both salaried and non-salaried workers’ gross income.
According to National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, who sponsored the bill, its signing was expedited to coincide with March payslips, ensuring prompt implementation of the Affordable Housing Act.
Despite these efforts, Ruto’s agenda faced judicial hurdles, as the Judiciary declared it unconstitutional. Court rulings highlighted the unlawfulness of deductions initiated in July the previous year, citing a lack of public input.
Amendments to the bill included penalties of 3 per cent for unpaid amounts, imposed monthly, and measures to discourage multiple property ownership.
