Why a housing board will help address housing stalemate

The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) has urged the government to delete in entirety all the provisions of housing in the finance bill of 2023 terming it as unconstitutional.

Nominated Senator and architect Sylvia Mueni Kasanga a member of AAK and Architects Alliance, a group of seasoned architects and think tank, says the whole housing question has not been addressed appropriately yet housing is a much bigger component of our everyday life.

“If the government wants to continue with the housing proposal, it should first establish a national housing board under the Act of Parliament to create a regulatory framework to govern housing in the country.

On top of that they should also create county housing boards nestled within the Kenya Housing board in line with constitution schedule four,” she says.

She says since housing is a devolved function, the county governments and Senate should also be heavily involved in this conversation.

Also county roles should be clearly defined in any matters to do with housing, including the fund that is being discussed at length.

The reason as to why counties need to be involved is because they are the ones that will be allocating land for housing projects and will oversee implementation of county classified housing projects, manage funds allocated to each county for housing purposes, as well as identifying key stakeholders, among others.
After that, she says there should be establishment of Kenya Housing Fund by Act of Parliament, which will be administered by persons selected by the housing boards. There will also be need for clear definitions of funds and remitter of funds. Sources of funds should also include already existing sources in the sector, such as capital gains tax and stamp duty levies collected on imported materials. “The national housing board mandate should include classification of houses both national and county, set policy and standards, prepare national housing investment plan, map all stakeholders, administer funds derived from the housing fund and other sources, determine allocation resources from the fund, monitor operations of implementation agencies, procurement, among others,” she explains.
Kasanga says the government should be fully cognisant of the fact that housing as it is defined from an architectural point of view, and as a social issue is bigger than a house/the building itself. There is an entire ecosystem around a house for each to function as a whole.This is why the government should talk about the entire housing ecosystem, which includes not just the houses or building, but also the infrastructure around the house, and other services around the house such as garbage, firefighting, disaster management, environmental factors, you know, such as drainage. “The government is just talking about the provision of houses. Is that really the issue that we should be addressing as a country? Is that really the social problem that we have? Is it the lack of houses or is it the lack of enabling factors that can help people build even their own houses? If it is a question of job creation, is building a house the only way to create jobs?”Kasanga poses.
She says if the government considers the entire housing ecosystem, then there will be a serious conversation since housing in itself as a whole economic point can create lots of jobs for Kenyans and not just thinking of the house itself.
“We feel very strongly that the whole conversation has been lost and it has been misplaced. And the biggest reason for this is because the government has not called upon the correct think tank to work out and know what is the housing question in this country,” she says.
She reveals that currently what the government needs to do is to point out which problem they will be resolving when they create a housing fund. Because there’s a lot of debate that is going around this housing fund.It is not yet clear if Kenyans really need houses to live in or to own or Kenyans just need to be empowered to be able to build their own houses or be able to rent. As for now the government is assuming everybody wants to own a home, which might not be true.
“Maybe we have a good number of Kenyans who are happy to rent a home. How about opening up areas with infrastructure and allowing Kenyans to go where land is more affordable and they can do their own construction. Or you can get the private sector there through demand and supply. Be a key player in this conversation,” she offers.
Kasanga says that AAK and the Architect Alliance proposes that the government needs to take a step back and look at this in a wholesome manner.Once that is done and a national housing board is formed then the board will sit and think through the housing question in totality. And it is this board that then will define what kind of funds are required to make this conversation come through.

Different housing needs
Once the national housing board defines how this conversation goes the county housing boards will also come up with their county plans. The reason is each county has unique requirements for its citizens. For example, the housing needs of Nairobians are not the same as for those who live in other counties.
“We can read all sorts of insincerity in this kind of a solution.There is a need for a better way to look at the whole housing question and we are saying that these boards need to be run by people who understand the housing need and definitely these are professionals in the built environment,” she shares.
Adding that “We expect architects to now come into the forefront of this conversation because architects are about housing. We are the creators of space and the ecosystem around the space. We are the ones who design these things, and we are the ones who create the visions around these things. So it is our expectation that these boards will be run and managed by professionals who understand and are seasoned, who then can advise citizens and the government on what needs to be done,” she says in ending.

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