President William Ruto has directed the government to use part of the Affordable Housing Fund to support Maendeleo Ya Wanawake in building houses on their lands across the country. He issued the directive during a meeting with the group's members at State House, Nairobi, on April 1, 2026. Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has been tasked with developing the framework.
President William Ruto, speaking on April 1, 2026, at State House, Nairobi, hosted members of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake and directed the use of Affordable Housing Levy funds for their housing projects.
"You have said you have land for development across the country. Is that right? I want you, CS Mama Alice, to sit down with their leadership so that we can help them develop those plots on the Affordable Housing programme," Ruto said.
The directive follows requests from the women's caucus for government support in securing tenders, strengthening SACCO systems, tax incentives, and unlocking their land holdings. Ruto acknowledged the group's extensive land ownership as a viable opportunity to expand the Affordable Housing Programme through partnerships.
He noted the proposal could spark public debate due to the public nature of the funds and stressed accountability. "We will create a model. You know that the Affordable Housing project money belongs to Kenyans. There is a model that we will put there to help the houses and land. We will, however, return that money upon the completion of the investment and development," he added.
This comes amid government adjustments to the programme, including collaboration with a telecommunications company for opt-out withdrawals and an Affordable Housing Board agreement on March 30 to roll out services at Huduma Centres.
