CS Wahome Announces New Land Laws While Responding To Housing Levy
On Monday, July 2, Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome dismissed Gen Z protesters’ push to repeal the housing levy.
Speaking in Nairobi’s South B neighborhood, the CS explained that more than 100,000 housing units were already in the works across the country.
As a result, she stated that if the state repealed the levy, the projects would be considered dead capital and a waste of taxpayer funds.
“I already have over 100,000 housing units. If I stopped at this stage, then that would be a dead capital investment and it is Kenyans’ money,” she stated.
Wahome was responding to mounting pressure from protesters who described the housing levy, which is deducted at a rate of 1.5 percent, as punitive to salaried workers while the cost of living rises.
Protesters are expected to demonstrate today (Tuesday, July 2) in an effort to press for reforms.
CS Wahome also told the press that the state was revising its Land Laws to prevent landgrabbers from taking state land.
She explained that loopholes in existing laws were allowing the perpetrators to hive off public land, resulting in a lengthy legal battle.
“As soon as we finish with the policy, we will be able to look at the Land Law and do an amendment of the law to capture various serious loopholes and gaps that the landgrabbers are using including how we deal with land belonging to the public that was grabbed and developed,” she noted.
Kimani Ichung’wah, the majority leader of the National Assembly, withdrew his amendments to the Land Laws Act two weeks ago following consultation with stakeholders.
His Lands Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023 proposed an annual levy on freehold land in urban areas.
“Having consulted with the relevant stakeholders, this is now to confirm that the Majority Party has withdrawn the Bill. Consequently, I request that the House Business Committee be notified of the withdrawal of the Bill and that no further consideration of the Bill should be undertaken,” Ichung’wah explained in the letter.
Land ownership has been a contentious issue in Kenya since independence.
CS Wahome Announces New Land Laws While Responding To Housing Levy
