Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has revealed that beneficiaries of the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s housing levy fund will be picked through a lottery system.
Speaking in an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday night, Mr. Hinga said despite all employees being forced to contribute towards the controversial housing scheme, when it comes to owning them only those who are successfully balloted will own the houses.
“One has to register besides contributing before a house is allocated to them. A lottery system will be used to determine who gets a house,” said Mr Hinga.
Uhuru’s administration intends to forcefully deduct 1.5 percent from about three million salaried employees to fund construction of 500,000 houses before his term ends.
Mr Hinga also made it clear that Kenyans have to pay whether they like it or not, since they elected the Jubilee government.
“The fact that you elected them, you knew that they made a commitment and so they have got to fulfill it.”
The compulsory contribution will be funded through a Public-Private Partnership, which requires an assurance of continuous cash flow.
Asked why the government wants to force even people who already own houses, or those who have taken mortgages, the housing PS said they can as well bequeath their units to their servants or relatives.
“The housing fund levy is a contribution because if you do not get a house, you can assign your contribution to your son, daughter or relative. It gives you a direct benefit which a tax doesn’t,” said Mr Hinga.
Mr Hinga’s comments however, has not been well received by a lot of Kenyans, who are already sceptical about the viability of the housing scheme with some terming it as another scandal in the making to swindle taxpayers’ money with impunity.
Several Kenyans have since started online campaigns using different hashtags on Twitter against the housing levy which was recently temporarily suspended by a court order.
