President William Ruto’s Affordable Housing Project promise has been branded a game-changer after its full implementation, challenges arising notwithstanding, the initiative is a bold, visionary plan meant to solve Kenya’s housing crisis and finally give decent homes to mama mbogas, hustlers, traders, and millions of Kenyans struggling without formal employment.
But let’s face it, the AHP being revolutionary, doing this project in places like Funyula in Samia Sub-County is nothing short of misplaced development especially for the Funyula residents. Who exactly are these houses meant for in Funyula?
Alema where the houses stand tall is about 4 kilometres away from Funyula and a remote area with no industries, major businesses save for the Samia Resort. There’s nothing to attract investors or new residents. The people of Funyula already live on vast ancestral and communal lands. Why would they abandon their family homes and traditions to squeeze into government-built units? The idea borders on absurd.
The Samia Sub county as a whole doesn’t have a housing crisis atleast for now, It has other urgent needs that the government should have considered first: better healthcare, functioning schools, good roads, clean water and opportunities for youth employment. For them, housing is the least of its problems. Yet, the government is sinking billions into concrete blocks that locals neither asked for nor will occupy.
Affordable housing in itself is a noble idea whose time has come, but only in cities and towns like Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Busia etc, towns choking under the weight of overpopulation, rising rents and lack of proper housing not places like Alema, Nangina Ward.
In Funyula, the affordable Housing is more of political showpiece than a solution to what really ails the community. A waste of taxpayer money dressed up as progress. Funyula needs development that matches its reality, not empty structures that will either gather dust or attract very few foreign tenants while locals continue struggling with basics. We really can do better
