Omtatah vows to reclaim land sold with Affordable Housing units if elected president
By Mabonga Makhanu, September 25, 2025Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has warned Kenyans against buying houses under the Affordable Housing Program, cautioning that should he be elected in 2027, he will reclaim the land to retain its status as public property.
While speaking in the Senate on Thursday, September 25, 2025, the senator argued that selling the affordable houses, which are built on public land, to Kenyans is more or less equal to selling the land itself, something that, according to the senator, the current regime is doing without following proper procedures as stipulated in the constitution.
He noted that the Constitution clearly outlines how public land can be converted into private land or vice versa, a process he insists the current regime has not followed. Instead, according to him, the government is simply selling the houses without adhering to the required guidelines.
“The Constitution defines private, community, and public land, and no individual, not even the President, has the authority to unilaterally convert public land by selling it to individuals,” Omtatah said.
Omtatah went ahead to warn Kenyans against buying these units, stating that once another regime takes over, the land on which the houses have been built will be repossessed by the government.
“When power changes, we shall recover those houses and surrender the land back to the public. Neither President Ruto, the minister, nor anybody has the power to sell public land to a private individual. Whoever dares to buy those houses is simply throwing away their money,” he said.
Omtatah, who has declared interest in the 2027 presidency, further stated that once he takes power, anyone who would have bought the housing units will be forced to either carry their houses away or surrender them to the government.
“We will recover those houses and give the land back to the public. There will be two options: either carry your house from that land or surrender it. I warn Kenyans, do not dare touch those houses because when I take over, I will recover them in 2027 and return the land to the people,” he warned.
Gachagua’s housing programme
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who is also eyeing the 2027 presidency, recently announced that should he take power, he would scrap the housing levy and transfer the housing project to county governments.
He added that counties would instead collect rent from the units, which would be used to refund Kenyans who have contributed to the scheme.