President William Ruto has vowed to continue with the Housing Levy program despite the Court of Appeal halting it.
Speaking in Meru County on Friday, January 26, the president reiterated that the program will stay on, on the basis that it is creating employment opportunities for Kenyan youth.
“Hii housing mnataka iendelee ama tusimamishe? “I want to tell the few that have gone to court to challenge the Housing Fund that we will go forward with it. They want to deny youths and other Kenyans an opportunity to work for their country but we will not allow it…It will continue,” said Ruto.
“We are already making the law that the court authorized. We are going forward with creating job opportunities for the people of Kenya,” he continued.
His remarks come hours after the Court of Appeal ruled that the Housing Levy is unconstitutional.
“The trial Court held that the Housing Levy was introduced without a legal framework. It also held that the levy was targeting a section of Kenyans. In our view, the public interest lies in awaiting the determination of the appeal,” reads the ruling in part.
“This is because if the stay sought is granted at this stage, should the appellate Court affirm the impugned decision, then some far-reaching decisions that will have been undertaken under the impugned laws may not be reversible.”
Esther Nyambura, “Housing Levy Programme Will Continue, Vows Ruto,” The Standard (Standard Digital, January 26, 2024), https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/national/article/2001489274/housing-levy-programme-will-continue-vows-ruto.
