Reality check: Success, hurdles in Ruto’s affordable housing dream

The Affordable Housing Project promised dignity and stability for Kenya’s urban poor, yet gaps in delivery are fast exposing cracks in what was once hailed as a groundbreaking social revolution.

In Nairobi’s New Mukuru Housing Estate, residents who once lived in congested shacks now enjoy modern apartments with private bathrooms, clean water, reliable electricity, free Wi-Fi, and cooking gas installations.

For many, the shift has restored dignity and hope. But unfinished facilities and social concerns are slowing the project’s promise of holistic transformation.

Education remains a major sore point. A school project within the estate is still under construction, forcing children to trek back into slum schools.

Ms Jerusha Muthoni, the first tenant of the project launched by President William Ruto in May, says her only concern is schooling.

“Children still trek to slum schools as the new estate school nears completion,” she says, noting how the delay undermines the sense of progress.

Business containers meant to empower small traders also remain undistributed. For Mr Bosco Mukolwe, who had hoped to operate a shop in the estate, this has meant returning to the slums to continue trading.

“We expected to earn our living here, but without shops, some of us are forced to go back,” he laments.

Security, too, has become a growing issue. Residents report cases of petty theft, including missing clothes from balconies, and are calling for CCTV cameras to deter crime. Still, many tenants insist the project has delivered far more gains than losses.

At dusk in the New Mukuru Housing Estate, the soundscape tells its own story. The metallic clatter of iron sheets has been replaced by children’s laughter echoing through freshly painted apartment blocks. Some children, unfamiliar with modern lifts, press buttons repeatedly while giggling.

A man with a walking stick playfully pretends to discipline them. “We never imagined our dream would come true,” says Anne Njoki, chairlady of the Mukuru Settlement Executive Committee.

For Ms Njoki, the transformation is beyond dispute.

“At the slum, we lived 12 families sharing one toilet and bathroom. Now we live in self-contained houses. We no longer frequent hospitals because of diseases caused by poor sanitation,” she reflects.

Having lived in Mukuru Kwa Njenga’s Riara section until May, Ms Njoki vividly recalls the hardships: “The difference between here and there is like heaven and earth – like day and night,” she says.

In the slum, they sometimes went months without electricity, fetched water from distant boreholes, and shared pit latrines with dozens of families. At night, women used buckets indoors for fear of venturing outside.

“There was no dignity,” she whispers.

“Neighbours peeped through holes in iron-sheet bathrooms. Fires were common. Even intimacy became impossible. We only whispered.”

Now, in her new studio apartment under the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP), she speaks with pride: “The President has given us dignity. We have clean water, private bathrooms, reliable electricity, and security. I can finally invite guests to my home without shame.”

Njoki is one of 1,080 beneficiaries who received keys during Phase One of the Mukuru project, officially launched in May 2025. Here, a bedsitter costs Sh640,000, payable over 30 years.

For Geoffrey Odhiambo, vice-chair of the settlement committee, this translates to about Sh3,900 per month – “a mortgage, not rent”.

“Never again will a landlord knock at my door demanding rent,” he beams. “When I finish paying, this house will be mine.”

The estate offers free Wi-Fi, regulated cooking gas with detectors, piped water, and 40 free electricity units on entry. A caretaker oversees maintenance, backed by estate committees, cleaners, guards, and an assistant chief, Mr Kipchumba Daniel.

Temporary containers have been provided for small businesses, while a mall is under construction for permanent stalls.

“We’ve already registered for the stalls,” Odhiambo adds. “This is more than housing – it’s an economy in the making.”

For Maximilla “Mama Joan”, another beneficiary, the change feels surreal.

“We are in a different world. In the slum, there was no security, no sanitation. Now we live in dignity. We even have free gas and water. I cannot complain.”

Jerusha Muthoni, who lived in Mukuru Kwa Reuben, recalls muddy alleys and water shortages.

“Nobody regrets being here. We even pray for the President to secure another term so he can ex-tend this dignity to all slum dwellers,” she says.

Hesbon Mwathi, a Gen Z beneficiary, calls the project “a rare chance at early home ownership”.

“I thank the President for enabling me to own a house at my age. Gone are the days landlords harassed us. Now we just need a clinic nearby for emergencies.”

Elderly resident Joseph Mwencha echoes the joy: “I had lost hope in Mukuru Kwa Njenga. Here, we enjoy everything. We see ourselves as people who have seen the light of the Lord. God bless the President.”

Still, he notes uneven furniture distribution: “Some blocks received beds and tables; others did not. We ask for fairness so no one is tempted to steal.”

President Ruto has described affordable housing as a cornerstone of his Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (Beta). His goal is to build 250,000 units annually to reduce the housing deficit, curb slum growth, and create jobs.

So far, the government says 3,171 units are complete nationwide, with 40,000 nearing completion and 161,911 ongoing.

Mukuru alone will eventually host 13,248 units. Principal Secretary for Housing Charles Hinga says the government targets 200,000 units annually through public-private partnerships, despite land constraints.

Beyond Mukuru, similar projects are progressing in Kibra (4,465 units), Kakamega (98.6 per cent complete), Vihiga (95 per cent), and Kisumu’s Lumumba Estate (34 per cent), among others.

The project’s financing through a mandatory housing levy has sparked criticism over transparency and taxation, however, the government maintains the AHP is on track and structurally different from previous failed schemes.

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said earlier projects pre-dated Ruto’s administration, while the AHP includes reforms such as access to public land, VAT exemptions, and provision of last-mile utilities to lower costs.

For a country where nearly 70 per cent of urban residents live in informal settlements, the stakes are high. The AHP represents not just shelter but dignity, jobs, and urban renewal.

As MsNjoki sums it up: “At the slum, I could not even bring guests home. Now I’m a proud Kenyan. The respect the President has given us – only God knows. Our colleagues in the slums deserve the same dignity.”

Her words mirror both the gratitude of beneficiaries and the expectations on government. The project’s success will not only define President Ruto’s legacy but also reshape the lived realities of millions of Kenyans.