Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Finance and National Planning Kimani Kuria says Parliament will enact robust legislation to protect the Affordable Housing Program.
This follows a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal, which declared the Housing Levy unlawful and that it violated the constitution.
Friday’s Appellate Court’s decision also directed employers to immediately cease deducting the levy from employees’ salaries.
However, Chairman Kuria stressed that the Affordable Housing Bill aims to establish a legal framework in alignment with Article 43 (1) (b) of the Constitution, which upholds the right to accessible and adequate housing and reasonable standards of sanitation.
“I want to clarify that the court’s ruling today does not hinder us from conducting public hearings. Today marks the ninth day of these hearings, and we are on track to conclude next week. The objective of this Bill is to provide the legal framework that the court found lacking in the housing levy,” Kuria explained to residents.
He affirmed parliament’s commitment to their ongoing public engagement efforts and reiterated that their visit to Faza Island had allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by local residents.
The Court of Appeal had earlier dismissed a Stay Application filed by the government, which sought to continue collecting the Housing Levy until the appeal was heard and decided upon by the court.
