The Government has stepped up measures to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing projects, with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development moving to resolve procurement bottlenecks, strengthen oversight and fast-track developments facing delays.
Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga told the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works that the State Department had taken corrective measures to unlock projects affected by procurement and implementation challenges.
Hinga said the Government had engaged the National Treasury to address challenges arising from the transition to the electronic government procurement system, which had slowed the evaluation and award of some tenders.
“We have had challenges with the implementation of e-GP but we are working closely with Treasury,” Hinga told the Committee.
He said the Government had subsequently working with the National Treasury to expedite the award of projects that had been held up by the system.
The Ministry is also tightening scrutiny of contractors to ensure only firms with the technical and financial capacity to undertake projects are engaged.
“We have tightened that space,” he said.
The State Department is also pursuing corrective measures on projects that have fallen behind schedule, including closer engagement with contractors and enhanced monitoring of implementation.
Hinga said the scale of the affordable housing programme had promoted the Government to strengthen oversight and build capacity within the construction sector.
The Housing Committee welcomed the Government’s efforts but called for stronger monitoring to ensure corrective measures translate into completed projects.
Abraham Kirwa called for enhanced monitoring and evaluation of projects to ensure emerging challenges are identified and addressed before they escalate.
The Ministry also said it was working with the State Department responsible for lands to facilitate the acquisition of titles for housing developments, addressing one of the issues that can affect project completion and occupation.
The Government is also pursuing stronger collaboration with county governments and municipalities to improve planning, infrastructure delivery and management of urban developments.
Hinga said the Ministry would continue working with Parliament and other government agencies to address implementation bottlenecks and ensure the affordable housing programme delivers its intended social and economic benefits.
The interventions are aimed at ensuring that government-funded housing projects are completed, allocated to eligible beneficiaries and supported by the infrastructure and services required to make the developments sustainable.
The Ministry maintained that while implementation challenges exist, the Government is focused on resolving them and ensuring the affordable housing programme continues to deliver decent homes and transform urban communities.
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