The government injected more than Ksh81.4 billion into Kenya’s affordable housing drive over the past three years, but uptake under the Boma Yangu programme remains far below expectations, with fewer than 300,000 Kenyans registering to buy units by June 2025.
Data from the State Department for Housing and Urban Development shows that only 292,326 people enrolled in the programme, representing just 0.5 per cent of Kenya’s estimated 53.3 million population. The figure falls sharply short of the government’s target of 565,800 registrations within the same period.
“Target not achieved. Fewer people than anticipated registered on Boma Yangu,” the department acknowledged in official disclosures on “the number of cumulative potential homeowners registered on Boma Yangu.”
The latest figures have raised fresh questions over earlier official claims that more than half a million Kenyans had already signed up for the scheme. While the Boma Yangu platform currently displays 894,859 users, a more recent statement from the State Department for Housing indicated that registrations had climbed to 1,020,861 by Saturday, with contributors saving Ksh3.84 billion.
The disclosures appear in budget proposal presentations for the 2027/28 financial year, which reviewed performance across the three years ending June 2025. The documents reveal that contractors delivered only 2,075 housing units under the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) between July 2022 and June 2025, with officials citing legal hurdles as a major setback.
“The AHP completed 2,075 housing units across various counties, including 605 in Bondeni, 1,080 in Mukuru, and several institutional and prison units, while ongoing projects include 62,123 affordable units at an average of 32 per cent completion, 44,803 social units at 17 per cent, and 11,527 institutional units at 22 per cent completion level,” the report states.
The department blamed court cases and the lack of enabling legislation to allow the use of Housing Levy collections as key reasons for the missed targets.
According to the budget documents, the government also failed to hit construction targets for 217,654 affordable housing units in the 2022/23 and 2024/25 financial years due to expenditure controls that were in place before Parliament approved the Affordable Housing Regulations. Construction of 80,909 social housing units suffered similar delays.
“Target not achieved due to court litigations, which stopped the construction. However, 1,080 units are complete, 44,803 units are ongoing at an average of 17 per cent completion,” the department explained.
The budget papers further show that the Affordable Housing Programme has an overall allocation of Ksh627 billion running from July 2023 to June 2032. Spending remained subdued in the early years, as the legal framework only came into force after Parliament passed the necessary regulations early last year.
Despite the slow rollout, completed housing projects have recorded strong occupancy. Buyers snapped up all units built in Homa Bay and Mukuru, while residents occupied 80 per cent of the 605 houses completed in Bondeni, Nakuru.
The government aims to deliver 500,000 affordable, social, institutional, and student housing units by 2029 as part of its long-term housing agenda.
The post Govt Admits Boma Yangu Targets Not Met Despite Billions Spent in Housing Funding appeared first on Bossnana.
