Lands, Housing, and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has responded to Rigathi Gachagua’s claims that the government’s Affordable Housing Programme is “the worst fraud against the people of Kenya.”
Gachagua recently alleged that President William Ruto and his allies targeted him for exposing the misappropriation of the housing levy. He claimed that instead of funding housing projects, officials were diverting the levy to sell construction materials such as cement, steel, and iron sheets for personal gain.
He further accused government officials of ensuring the continued collection of the levy to sustain construction projects that benefited them financially. According to Gachagua, any Principal Secretary in charge of affordable housing must sign subcontracts with companies supplying construction materials—companies allegedly linked to influential individuals.
Speaking in Machakos on Wednesday, Wahome dismissed these allegations and challenged Gachagua to back his claims with evidence.
“Procurement in my ministry is public. So for somebody at the level of deputy president, a former deputy president, to tell Kenyans that there is somewhere my ministry is sitting behind the scenes and making some illegal contracts, I would want him to tell the EACC where that is and who happens to be there so that then they can help me to deal with that as a corruption issue,” Wahome stated.
She also pointed out that Gachagua played a role in planning and launching several government projects before his fallout with the administration.
“He has forgotten that he has launched some of these projects himself, alone or jointly with the President and he was our champion. Were his eyes closed at that time?
“Let us be candid even at that high level. I want to urge the former Deputy President respectfully to be candid and tell Kenyans that here, I am employing 160,000 people (youth), that the cement industry is benefitting from this, and we have shopped throughout the country,” said Wahome.
Wahome clarified that her office oversees the procurement process but does not dictate where contractors source their materials. Once procurement is complete, contractors independently choose their material suppliers for each site.
“The procurement happens in my office, and we take full responsibility for the process. However, contractors purchase their own materials. I am certain local suppliers provide stone and sand for this project,” Wahome explained while inspecting the Mavoko affordable housing project in Machakos.
She emphasized that the project has created numerous job opportunities, followed a transparent procurement process, and received full government approval.
Wahome also questioned Gachagua’s pledge to abolish the initiative, asking, “Are you telling Kenyans that if you become president, you will stop them from owning homes?”
Wahome urged Kenyans to ignore critics and assured them that the first batch of 4,000 housing units would be handed over in the first quarter of 2025.
