Atwoli, Ruto In A Tipping Standoff Over Housing Levy Funds
President William Ruto is at the center of a simmering conflict between the Central Organisation of Trade Unions-Kenya (COTU-K) and the State Department of Housing.
This comes as proposals emerged to shift billions of dollars in housing levy monies to other social infrastructure projects.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June 7, COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli called for Ruto’s intervention to defuse the impending crisis, with both sides blaming each other for spreading false information.
“We are calling upon His Excellency the President, Dr William Samoei Ruto, to urgently intervene and ensure that the Affordable Housing Levy remains dedicated to delivering decent, dignified and affordable homes for Kenyans,” Atwoli stated.
As COTU (K) we are clear and unequivocal that there was no consultation because if there was any we would never have agreed to the affordable housing levy being used to build amenities and infrastructure that are already budgeted for within the National Budget.
— Francis Atwoli NOM (DZA), CBS, EBS, MBS. (@AtwoliDza) June 7, 2025
If this trend… pic.twitter.com/7BLBMS8JX4
The controversy erupted after COTU raised concerns on Tuesday, June 3, about the redirection of affordable housing money, arguing that it would result in the squandering of the government’s billions.
Atwoli had warned that the new laws could create a gap that would allow politicians to divert cash to projects that would jeopardize the affordable housing initiative.
He said that the diversion was being used to create amenities already allocated for in the National Budget, resulting in redundancy.
“If this trend persists, the affordable housing levy would soon be redirected to other development projects like the building of roads, dams, and other heavy expense projects while leaving workers exposed without decent housing,” he stated.
They claimed that COTU, the umbrella union for Kenyan workers, was not consulted throughout the development of the new Affordable Housing Regulations.
They also noted that Kenyan workers made significant contributions to the housing levy.
As COTU (K) we have noted with great concern that the National Assembly has adopted a set of Affordable Housing Regulations, which, fortunately, are yet to be ratified by the Attorney General. If adopted, these regulations, which are in the possession of COTU (K), will introduce… pic.twitter.com/P7UUAy9lZ5
— Francis Atwoli NOM (DZA), CBS, EBS, MBS. (@AtwoliDza) June 3, 2025
However, on Friday, June 6, Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga rebutted Atwoli’s assertions, accusing him of misleading Kenyans.
In his response, he disclosed that COTU, contrary to their claims of not being consulted, had taken part in forming the regulations.
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“It came as a surprise to us, the statement by COTU, because COTU was one of the very few organisations that had the privilege of drafting the Act. They are actually represented in person,” Hinga stated.
In a novel twist, COTU refuted Hinga’s claims, claiming that their representative’s duty on the Affordable Housing Fund Board did not include making autonomous decisions on COTU’s behalf.
They also challenged PS Hinga to present documented decisions, minutes, or official correspondence from COTU’s Executive Board that supported the formulation or content of the current regulations.
In addition to the supposed rivers and dams, the housing levy revenues would be utilized to build health facilities, pre-primary education centers, basic education centers, inferno stations, police posts, social halls, markets, and open spaces under the proposed laws.
Atwoli, Ruto In A Tipping Standoff Over Housing Levy Funds
