President William Ruto has handed over keys to 176 homeowners at the Chepalungu Boma Yangu Affordable Housing Estate in Bomet County, announcing that construction of a second phase comprising 2,000 additional units will begin next month.
Ruto said the Sh5 billion expansion is intended to address growing demand for affordable homes in the region while supporting the Government’s broader housing programme.
“From next month, we will begin the construction of Phase Two, comprising 2,000 units at a cost of KSh5 billion, to meet the growing demand for housing,” the President said.
The President linked the development of affordable housing in agricultural regions to efforts to protect productive farmland from excessive subdivision.
He said providing decent and affordable homes in such areas would help reduce pressure on families to subdivide agricultural land for residential development.
“The development of affordable housing in agriculturally rich regions will help us curb land fragmentation, allowing us to focus on food production to strengthen food security and grow cash crops that put more money in the pockets of farmers,” Ruto said.
The Chepalungu project is part of the Government’s Affordable Housing Programme, which seeks to increase access to decent housing while creating employment and stimulating activity across the construction value chain.
Under the programme, the Government has been promoting different categories of housing targeted at low- and middle-income households, with financing supported partly through the Affordable Housing Levy.
The housing programme is also designed to create opportunities for local enterprises and workers through demand for construction materials, transport, manufacturing and other services associated with housing development.
Housing programme expands beyond major cities
The Chepalungu project reflects the government’s effort to extend affordable housing developments beyond Nairobi and other major urban centres.
Ruto has repeatedly argued that the housing programme should not be viewed solely as a construction initiative but also as part of a wider economic strategy involving job creation, urban development and improved living conditions.
The government has also been pushing for the integration of social amenities and infrastructure into housing developments, including roads, water, sanitation and community facilities.
For residents receiving houses at Chepalungu, the handover marks the transition from renting or living in other forms of housing to home ownership under the Boma Yangu programme.
The government says beneficiaries of the affordable housing programme can access homes through structured tenant-purchase arrangements, allowing them to pay for their units over an extended period.
Focus on protecting agricultural land
The president’s remarks placed particular emphasis on the relationship between housing and agriculture in Bomet, a county whose economy is heavily dependent on farming.
Ruto said planned housing developments can provide an alternative to the continued subdivision of agricultural holdings as populations grow and families seek land for residential purposes.
The government has increasingly promoted higher-density housing as a way of accommodating growing populations without putting additional pressure on productive agricultural land.
The approach is particularly significant in counties where small-scale farming remains a major source of household income and where fragmentation of landholdings can reduce the amount of land available for commercial production.
The Sh5 billion second phase at Chepalungu is therefore expected to increase the supply of formal housing while supporting the government’s wider objective of preserving agricultural land for food and cash-crop production.
With 2,000 more units planned, the next phase will also expand the number of households able to access the Boma Yangu housing model in Bomet.
The government is banking on continued investment in affordable housing to address Kenya’s housing deficit while simultaneously generating employment and supporting economic activity in counties outside the country’s largest cities.
Read: Affordable Housing: What Has Been Achieve By Ruto’s Flagship Project So Far
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