Nyong’o pleads with Uhuru for waiver of Sh1 billion NHC debt

Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to waive a Sh1 billion debt which his county owes the National Housing Corporation (NHC).

Nyong’o says that the move would allow for smooth implementation of the ongoing affordable housing programme in the county.

Addressing the press in Mombasa, Nyong’o was concerned that the NHC has created a “tremendous roadblock” frustrating the county’s affordable housing programme which his administration has been struggling to implement the County in the past two years by undertaking an urban renewal programme at Makasembo Estate.

He blamed NHC officials he said have personal interests in the estate for allegedly mounting more roadblocks to frustrate the urban renewal programme.

“Over the last two years, we in Kisumu have been struggling to implement affordable housing in Kisumu.

This has meant building new affordable houses for our people where old dilapidated houses currently exist, unfortunately we have come across roadblocks created by the NHC which has been collecting rent from these houses for over 10 years as a result of previous agreements with the defunct Municipal Council of Kisumu,” said the governor.

He said the houses under discussion were developed by the municipal council using a loan from the NHC but the defunct municipal defaulted on paying the loans, hence went on to hand over the houses to NHC to collect rent and pay themselves until the debt is fully recovered.

“Unfortunately NHC has been inefficient in collecting rent over the years, and not even raising the rents with respect to the County Government Finance Act since 2013,” he said.

In the meantime, Nyong’o said his administration has come into an agreement with the Local Authorities Pension Fund (Lapfund) to build affordable modern houses for residents of Makasembo Estate currently under the NHC.