President Ruto has stated that the Affordable Housing Project is not only aimed at creating numerous job opportunities especially for the young Kenyans but also seeks to protect the country’s arable lands from the continued fragmentation for settlement.
In 2021, arable land as a share of land area for Kenya was 10.2 %. Arable land as a share of land area of Kenya increased from 6.1 % in 1972 to 10.2 % in 2021 growing at an average annual rate of 1.15%.
Through upscaling of the irrigation practices in the country, President Ruto’s government is in the process of increasing the area by 60,000 acres in the year 2024.
In the past one year or so, the government oversaw the increase of area under irrigation by 7%, 47,933, from 664,000 in 2022 to 711,933 acres in 2023.
The Affordable Housing will therefore be fundamental in providing low income earners with decent homes while also protecting the country’s arable land. The continued land fragmentation currently poses the threat to reducing the available farming land which in turn poses a threat to the country’s food security.
President Ruto has continuously echoed his government’s wish to halve the food importation bills the currently incurs, from 500 Billion shillings to 250 Billion, in the next 5 years.
Earlier today, H.E President Ruto accompanied by the Deputy President and other leaders, launched the 320-unit Blue Valley Affordable Housing project in Nyeri Town Constituency, Nyeri County.
