Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has called for the introduction of idle land tax where individuals with land which has remained undeveloped for long will be subjected to taxation.
Speaking in Naivasha during the induction retreat for the Senate Committee on Roads, Transport and Housing, PS Hinga said the price of land in Nairobi County is rated among the most expensive in the World mostly because people are holding land.
Owners of idle land will face penalties if the government puts in place taxation guidelines in part of efforts to boost revenue collection.
PS Hinga also noted it’s unfortunate that prisons were built in the heart of most towns thereby curtailing growth and expansion.
He said a conversation has commenced with a view of moving prison facilities out of urban centers so that the huge tracts of land they occupy can be made available for the affordable housing program.
The PS Hinga has also urged Kenya Railways to cede land they aren’t using for the affordable housing program.
