Why housing problem cannot be divorced from unemployment

Kenya like many other countries in Africa has a huge problem when it comes to housing. With nearly half of the population living in informal settlements, it’s indeed an uphill task for the government to solve the menace. The new housing levy imposed on citizens in hopes of solving the problem is a drop in the ocean to remedy low tide. The state has to employ plethora of approaches to deal with housing problem which in essence co-exist with unemployment.

It’s imperative that the Kenya Kwanza administration understand that unemployment is the root cause of housing problem. People with good income are not living in slums, instead, they live in estates and gated communities. That is a plain indication that the problem at hand is not housing but unemployment.

Using housing levy to solve unemployment might be a well calculated move to kill two birds with one stone but the question remains, will the plan go as anticipated or it will fall flat foot. It’s one thing to plan and to test its feasibility is another. One of the basic tenet of solving a problem is to understand the problem before swinging to action to solve.

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The Jubilee administration had a good housing plan under the Big 4 Agenda. However, they failed to execute it. In fact, they had a plan to built more than 500,000 houses between the year 2017 and 2022. In the process, the state demolished more than 500,000 houses in informal settlements across the country only to deliver 13,000 housing units by October last year according to the then ministry of Transport, Housing and Urban Development. Kenya Kwanza administration must avoid such pitfalls because it is unwise to have the best plan and fail to actualize. Additionally, it will render the housing levy a bad move.

The real problem

The biggest problem facing majority of Kenyans is unemployment which fuels the massive growth of informal settlements across the country. When people find it hard to pay the rents they opt for simple structures to “cover heads”. Inflation and rising cost of living exacerbate this situation. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, shelter (housing) comes third and this best explains why people tend not to think of housing when they have nothing in their plates. The government should really think of ways to reduce the cost of living.

It’s good to note that Kenyans living in informal settlements contribute nearly 35 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and more than 70 per cent of all employment in the country. In that respect, the government should focus on ensuring creation of employment is at the heart of their plan not only through the housing agenda which they envision to offer jobs but to uncover other sector that will actualize the same.  

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With the country’s population growing at a fast pace, the idea that the state will build houses for majority of them is a toughest thing to do. The best remedy is to ensure that Kenyans have jobs and automatically, they can build their own houses without having to depend on the state to do it for them. I don’t want to be a pessimist on the housing agenda but let’s be honest that its central idea of creating many jobs is not sustainable and not fast either, since it will take time to commence.

Therefore, the Kenya Kwanza administration should find avenues to create jobs for Kenyans who are facing tough economic times. Exploring several sectors like creative economy, agriculture, blue economy, and creating enabling environment for SMEs. If more Kenyans can earn a living, then they will build their own houses and by extension contribute to the growth of economy. Therefore, solve unemployment to solve housing problem.