Raila promises to set up modern housing structures in slums if elected president
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party
presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga now says if elected, his administration
will roll out massive housing development projects across the country to
address the rising number of people living in urban centres.
Odinga says as a result of rapid urbanization
and growing population, there has been an influx of slums in major towns like
Kisumu and Nairobi.
The ODM party boss says the rise in slums is
as a result of desperation for shelter as people scramble to get roofs over
their heads, leading to poor planning.
Odinga, speaking on Wednesday in Kisumu
during the groundbreaking of Makasembo Estate where LAPFUND is set to construct
modern houses, said such steps are in the right direction and will fix the
housing shortage in the country.
“There is a shortage of houses, this is
something that needs to be arrested and reversed. What is being done here today
is basically responding to the needs of high numbers of our people who have
moved from rural areas to towns as urbanization continues to escalate,” he
said.
”The government needs to respond to the
household needs and here we will need to come up with a proper plan of
development.”
The former premier says his government will
try to re-introduce the housing levy to address the housing shortage in the
country, adding that the current administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta had
tried to introduce the levy but was met with resistance.
“Uhuru’s government tried to introduce a
housing levy where the employee will be contributing 1.5%, the employer 1.5%,
then we will go into approval fund that enables us to roll out massive housing
development in our country,” Odinga stated.
"We get shelter, then within it we must
have schools where children are going to go and also have health facilities… by
doing this we will be moving our people from poverty to prosperity for the
values of the people will go up and this is how we will be able to increase our
middle income as a country… this is the positive way of doing it."
Odinga says he has engaged the Central
Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) that was against the introduction of such
levy and they are now softening their stand.
“I will talk to COTU which led the opposition
in introducing that law and the leadership. Mr. Atwoli has assured me that they
will cooperate with us as Azimio government when we go into the office late
this year and we are going to introduce massive housing development into our
country,” he stated.
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