President William Ruto has insisted that the plan to ensure all Kenyans have affordable and decent housing will go on. Speaking in Kangeta Market in Igembe, Ruto said the government is already creating a law that will guide his housing project. He insisted that the court should have allowed them to complete creating the law.
The President added that despite the ruling, he will push forward with the plan that has created opportunities for young people, insisting that is where the public interest lies.
“I want to say that, for the avoidance of doubt, we are already making the law that the court authorised that we go and make. They should have given us a chance to complete the law, but we are going to complete the law, and we are going to go forward with making sure we create opportunities for jobs for the young people of our country because that is what the people of Kenya want. That is the right thing to do, and that is where the public interest is,” Ruto said on Tuesday.
The head of state hit out at those who moved to court to stop the process, saying that they live better lives with their children, yet they do not want jobless youths to make a decent living through the housing project. Ruto said the project currently employs over 130,000 young people, and the number will have risen to 300,000.
“The housing program is going to give us jobs in manufacturing in cement and steel industries. It will ensure engineers, masons, and carpenters have jobs,” he said.
“I want to tell the people who have gone to court that many of them have jobs; they want to deny opportunities to people who have never worked. We are on a mission to ensure equity and equality for all people in Kenya.”
His remarks come after the Appellate Court on Friday declined to suspend orders barring the state from deducting housing levy from Kenyans.
The Attorney General and the National Treasury had moved to the appellate court after the High Court found the deductions to be unconstitutional.
They told the court that the suspension would lead to a massive budgetary crisis and confusion in the country.
They sought orders halting the implementation of the High Court judgement that rendered the housing levy unconstitutional pending the determination of their appeal.
