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Willis Otieno slams Affordable Housing programme after Auditor-General flags land ownership gaps

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awyer Willis Evans Otieno has criticised the government’s affordable housing programme after the Auditor-General raised concerns over missing land ownership documents in many projects.

Otieno shared his reaction on X on Thursday, April 30, 2026, after details of the audit report became public. He said the findings confirmed what many Kenyans had suspected from the start.

“The Auditor-General Kenya reveals that 269 out of 394 so-called affordable housing projects lack proper land ownership documents. It confirms what many already suspected: this programme was rushed for optics, not grounded in law or accountability,” he wrote.

His remarks followed a special audit report that reviewed the status of affordable housing projects from the 2022/2023 financial year to April 30, 2025.

The report exposed major legal and administrative gaps in one of President William Ruto’s flagship programmes.

According to the Auditor-General, 269 out of 394 projects did not have proper ownership documents. That represents 68 per cent of all projects reviewed.

The affected developments include affordable housing projects, social housing units, markets built under the economic stimulus programme, solar floodlight projects, market stalls and other social infrastructure.

The audit found that some projects sit on community land or land held under customary tenure. Others stand on land owned by county governments. In several cases, auditors could not verify ownership records.

Otieno said such failures put home buyers and taxpayers at risk.

“You cannot claim to provide homes while building on legal quicksand, where ownership is unclear, buyers are exposed, and taxpayers carry the risk of inevitable disputes and losses,” he stated.

He also accused the government of presenting poor planning as progress. “This is institutionalised negligence dressed up as progress,” he added.

Pressure mounts over projects

The lawyer further argued that Kenyans are being asked to finance projects that may later face court battles or ownership disputes.

“If there were ever a clear example of governance failing the very people it claims to serve, this is it and it demands answers, accountability, and consequences, not spin,” he wrote.

Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga appeared before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee and responded to the concerns.

Hinga said the number of projects with valid land records had improved since the audit was conducted. He told MPs that 125 projects now hold confirmed documentation, up from 48 at the time of the audit.

Even so, the figures still show a large number of projects without complete legal records.

The Auditor-General also questioned how the programme began. The report said no formal cost-benefit analysis or proper project appraisal framework was documented before rollout.

It further found no clear affordability threshold study to guide house prices or identify beneficiaries. Some planning assumptions, including land readiness, private sector interest and financing methods, also lacked proper documentation-PeopleDaily.digital.

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National Assembly dismisses claims Sacco Bill is being rushed through Parliament

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The National Assembly has dismissed reports that the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is being rushed through Parliament, saying the proposed law is still undergoing public participation.

Through infographics shared on Facebook on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Parliament said misleading information had been circulating online about the Bill, formally known as the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 32 of 2025.

Bill was published in June 2025

The National Assembly said the Bill was published on June 30, 2025, and had remained under consideration for more than 12 months.

It rejected suggestions that lawmakers were fast-tracking the proposed amendments without allowing enough time for scrutiny.

According to Parliament, the lengthy period between the publication of the Bill and its current consideration shows that it is not being rushed.

Bill currently before the National Assembly committee

The Sacco Societies Amendment Bill is currently before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.

The committee is conducting public participation and receiving views from members of the public and other stakeholders.

The submissions are expected to help the committee assess the proposed amendments before presenting its recommendations to the National Assembly.

What happens after public participation?

After the public participation process is concluded, the committee will prepare a report containing its findings and recommendations.

Parliament said the views submitted by members of the public and stakeholders could inform further amendments to the Bill.

The proposed legislation will then proceed to the National Assembly for consideration by MPs.

This means the Bill has not yet completed the legislative process and could still be amended based on the submissions received during public participation.

Bill will be forwarded to Senate

The National Assembly also clarified that the Bill will not proceed directly for presidential assent after being passed by MPs.

Because the proposed legislation concerns county governments, it will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration in accordance with the Constitution.

The Senate will be required to consider the Bill before it can complete the parliamentary process and be presented for presidential assent.

Parliament urged members of the public to rely on verified information about the Sacco Societies Amendment Bill instead of unconfirmed reports circulating online-PeopleDaily.Digital.

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Digital house-hunting platform bets on technology to reshape Nairobi’s rental market

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NAIROBI, Kenya, July 14 – A growing shift towards digital property searches is changing how Kenyans find rental homes, with real estate technology platform Reemio positioning itself as a solution to longstanding challenges.

This included fraudulent listings, costly house searches and limited market transparency.

As younger, tech-savvy consumers turn to online platforms to make purchasing decisions, the company says digitizing the rental process could improve efficiency for both tenants and landlords while lowering transaction costs.

“Our niche is to solve the problem of house hunting and also bring trust into that process. We use technology to connect renters and landlords,” said Kimani.

Kimani said the platform seeks to address inefficiencies that have traditionally made house hunting expensive and time-consuming.

Instead of physically visiting multiple properties, users can browse verified listings, take virtual tours, compare amenities and access information on additional costs such as water charges, electricity bills and service fees before scheduling physical viewings.

Beyond improving convenience for tenants, Reemio argues that technology can help landlords reduce marketing costs, shorten vacancy periods and reach a wider pool of prospective tenants, including Kenyans living abroad.

The company says its platform also generates market data that can help property owners and developers better understand evolving consumer preferences, although its long-term impact will depend on wider adoption of digital property platforms and continued investment in trustworthy online real estate marketplaces-Capitalfm.co.ke.

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ORPP edges two parties closer to joining Kenya’s political arena

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The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has issued a notice for the provisional registration of two proposed political parties, opening a seven-day window for members of the public to lodge objections.

In a notice published by the Registrar of Political Parties and Chief Executive Officer J.C. Lorionokou, the ORPP announced that the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) and the People’s Alternative Voice (PAV) are in the process of being provisionally registered under Section 5(2)(a) of the Political Parties Act.

The ORPP, a State office established under Section 33 of the Political Parties Act and Article 260 of the Constitution, said its mandate includes registering and regulating political parties as well as administering the Political Parties Fund.

According to the notice, the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) has adopted pink, white and sky blue as its official party colours, with the slogan “Change – Mageuzi.” The party’s symbol is the acronym SDP enclosed inside a circle.

The party’s listed founder members are Nyangong’ Duncan Nyumbah, Omwandasi Jared Dishon and Kinyua Mary Wacuka.

The founders of PAV are listed as Odenyo John Fitzgerald Elly, Nyando Rachel Mmboga and Ali Hussein Kiplangat.

The Registrar said particulars of the two proposed political parties have been published on the ORPP website to facilitate public scrutiny as required by law.

Any person wishing to oppose the provisional registration of either party has seven days from the date of publication of the notice to submit objections either in writing or in person to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties at Lion Place, Fourth Floor, Waiyaki Way at Karuna Close, Nairobi.

The provisional registration marks the first step in the legal process of establishing a political party in Kenya.

Kenya has 91 fully registered political parties. The ORPP’s updated register indicates that, as of January 2026, there were 91 parties that had met the legal requirements for full registration under the Political Parties Act-STAR.

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