President William Ruto has been named the Global Champion of Adequate Housing for All, a recognition that highlights Kenya’s leadership in tackling the worldwide challenge of inadequate and unaffordable housing. The award was presented during the High-Level Roundtable of the Global Champions on Adequate and Affordable Housing, held on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Leaders at the event included Presidents Duma Boko of Botswana, John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach. The meeting, which brought together representatives from 25 countries, development partners, and financial institutions, also adopted a historic Call for Action on Adequate and Affordable Housing.
How is Kenya driving the global housing agenda?
President Ruto used the platform to propose the creation of a Coalition of Global Housing Champions, a political platform of leaders advocating transformative and inclusive housing policies. He emphasised that the housing crisis is too vast for any single country to solve, stressing the need for multilateralism, resource mobilisation, and strong political will.
“In this vision, UN-Habitat is indispensable, linking global aspirations to local transformation,” he said.
Ruto urged countries to embed housing into national development strategies, recognising it as central to climate resilience, social equity, and the Sustainable Development Goals. He further called for innovative financing models, stronger partnerships with financial institutions, and scaled-up support for UN-Habitat.
What progress has Kenya made at home?
Ruto showcased Kenya’s Affordable Housing Programme as a model of both ambition and delivery. He announced that nearly 170,000 units are already under construction, generating more than 320,000 jobs, with the number expected to double to 650,000 as the programme expands.
“Our ambition is to deliver 200,000 affordable units each year, not just as shelter but as engines of job creation, urban renewal, and equity,” he said.
The President explained that Kenya has lowered construction costs by allocating public land, introduced tax incentives to attract investors, and anchored the programme under the Affordable Housing Act 2024. The Housing Levy and the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company are also central to financing, making home ownership attainable for low- and middle-income families.
Other leaders, including President Mahama of Ghana and President Boko of Botswana, praised Kenya’s approach. Mahama noted that Kenya’s financing model has inspired Ghana to reposition housing as a priority, while Rossbach lauded the country’s housing levy as a bold measure to close financing gaps.
By Lucky Anyanje
