Drought in Kenya: In numbers

The Kenya Meteorological Department has forecast that rains will begin in different parts of the country from mid-March, with expected rainfall likely to be slightly above the long-term average amounts for the long rains season, which falls in March, April and May.

While this may come as good news to farmers, the Director of the Climate Predictions and Applications Centre at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Dr Guleid Artan, ICPAC, said in a news release that the long rains do not mean immediate recovery from drought, seeing as the last three seasons have recorded below average rainfall.

This implies that recovery from drought will take a few more months and the effects of the prolonged drought will continue to be felt, even after the rains begin.

 

 

Kenyan drought facts and figures:

 

September 2021 - Government declares drought a national disaster

 

2 - number of rainy seasons

3 - number of consecutive rainy seasons that have failed

23 - arid and semi-arid (ASAL) counties

12 counties - most affected by drought: Marsabit, Turkana, Samburu, Baringo, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Isiolo, Tana River, parts of Kitui, Meru and Laikipia

 

 

2.8 million - number of people in food crisis in December 2021

3.1 million -  people in need food assistance in February 2022

730,000 - number of women of reproductive age facing drought crisis

Photo by Ian Macharia on Unsplash

656,000 - children aged between 6-59 months acutely malnourished and in need of treatment in February 2022

100,000 - pregnant and lactating mothers acutely malnourished in February 2022

 

1.4 million - livestock that have died after the failure of 3 rain seasons

58 to 85kg - amount of maize sale whose sale could buy one goat in Turkana in January 2022

 

Sh2 billion - amount allocated by government for relief food distribution, water and livestock offtake

 

 

Sources: National Drought Management Authority; Economic Survey 2021; Farming Early Warning System (FEWS), ICPAC Compiled by: Felista Wangari

 

This feature is supported by a grant from WAN-IFRA’s Women in News Social Impact Reporting Initiative on Climate Change

How goat farming lifted us out of poverty

 How a goat farming project helped lift women groups in Kitui Central out of poverty. BY FELISTA WANGARI

When the 2019 national census was conducted, nearly half of the residents of Kitui were found to be living in poverty. A just over a decade prior, the women of Kwa Ukungu and Kwa Nginda say that was them.

At Kalumu Malombe’s homestead in Kwa Ukungu, Kambua John recalls being so poor that drinking milk tea was a fantasy.

“We had nothing. We were chosen from the poor of the poor … goat farming has transformed our lives,” says Ms John.

Their fortunes began to change in 2005, when the local assistant chief asked them to form two groups of 25 women, who would then be trained on dairy goat farming and be given a starter stock of three galla she-goats each. Each group was also given an exotic Toggenburg buck for cross-breeding with the local drought-resilient she-goats that could produce hybrid offspring to provide milk, meat and a livelihood.

The two groups were part of the larger Kitui Mwingi Breeders Association, which was supported by Farm Afrika, an organisation that seeks to boost the harvests and incomes of smallholder farmers, to lift them out of poverty.

The goats had to be cross-bred and bear kids twice before the required hybrid was achieved. The first two rounds of offspring were sold at Sh8,000 per goat, but once the required mix was achieved, the goats fetched higher prices with the third crossbred offspring fetching Sh13,000 a goat. The local goats in contrast, would sell for Sh3,000 on average, depending on the season. The pure Toggenburg breeds were sold at Sh28,000 per goat, but they couldn’t withstand the climatic conditions of Kitui Central, and died off. The hybrids were better adapted to the climate.

Margaret remembers selling three goats at Sh15,000 each and getting Sh45,000 as a result.

“I had never handled that kind of money. I couldn’t believe it was my money. I used it to clear a school fees balance of Sh15,000, bought chairs for my house and two large sufurias, so that I wouldn’t have to borrow whenever I had guests,” she says, adding that goat farming has helped them climb out of poverty.

Making changes

With their improved income, the women made changes to their chama (informal savings group), and turned it into a table banking group instead. With table banking, they now have access to credit to buy farm inputs like fertiliser and feed like napier grass, if the rains fail and there is insufficient feed on their farms.

“Before, we didn’t have access to money, so we would contribute Sh50 and give the money to one person in rotation. We didn’t achieve much with that. Now a member can get a Sh20,000 loan for school fees,” says Ms Mwende.

Rebecca Kasikali, the chairlady of the Kwa Nginda group, adds that improved income reduced their financial dependency.

“We used to wait for our husbands to bring money home. If they got nothing, we would sleep hungry,” says Ms Kasikali, adding that goat farming taught them how to make a living through selling milk and meat.

The group’s buck also earned them money, as those who brought their goats would pay Sh50 for crossbreeding services. Currently, those with bucks charge Sh200 for the services.

The proceeds from goat farming have also seen some of the women start other small businesses in addition to farming. Ms Mwende and Ms John, run a grocery shop and a cafe at the local shopping centre, respectively.

“We used to struggle to find income as casual labourers on other people’s farms; but now we are business women and we can afford to employ people to help on our farms. The goats uplifted us,” says Ms Mwende.

Goat farming in Kitui in numbers

-        87% of rural household income in Kitui is generated from agriculture, which is the main economic activity

-        82% of households involved in farming keep livestock

-        69% of farmers rear goats, keeping an average of 5 goats per household

This feature is supported by a grant from WAN-IFRA’s Women in News Social Impact Reporting Initiative on Climate Change

Climate smart farming saves farmers in Makueni from loss, but water remains a challenge

Women adapt to changing climate using climate-smart techniques, but water remains a thorn in the flesh. BY FELISTA WANGARI

 

Before Mary Mathule got together with her neighbours to form the Kikumini Muvao Farmers Self-Help Group in Makueni, in 2012, life was difficult.

“Getting money for food was a struggle and we often ate one unbalanced meal a day. It was either ugali or plain maize with black tea, in the evenings,” she recalls.

When she first moved to Muvao location as a newly-wed in 2003, she remembers it raining sufficiently twice a year. Over the years, however, the rainfall patterns changed and crop failure became the norm. Ms Mathule and her neighbours had to put more effort to reap a harvest.

While the climate hasn’t improved, their farming techniques have, since they formed the 17-member group and started practising climate-smart agriculture. Their livelihoods have also improved.

“We used to lose most of our crop as residue on the farm because of insufficient rain. Harvesting was a dream. We decided to do proper farming. Now, I have enough food and I am in agribusiness,” says Ms Mathule, who currently has cowpeas, beans and maize crop from improved drought-resistant seed on her farm. She also raises day-old chicks for sale and keeps dairy cattle for milk.

 

In addition to their individual farming, the Muvao farmer’s group also farm as a group on a one-and-a-quarter acre they bought together. They occasionally lease three acres too, whenever there is sufficient rain. They also rear chicken and run a general shop.

“This past season we didn’t lease farmland because we heard on the radio that there wouldn’t be sufficient rain, so we decided not to waste our money,” says Hellen, one of the members of the group.

 Ms Mathule started rearing poultry in 2015 with 10 improved chicken and 20 local (kienyeji) chicken.

 “I started noticing the change in 2018 and by 2019, I became known as a serious chicken farmer,” says Ms Mathule, who adds that since they started practising climate smart agriculture, the survival of their crops has improved, especially in the reality of insufficient rains.

 

“In the group we learn about selecting drought-resilient seeds, fighting pests,  using fertiliser and manure and early planting and staying up to date with information on the weather as ways to adapt to the changed climate conditions,” says Hellen.

“When the climate changes, you also change as a farmer. That’s what smart agriculture is about,” says Ms Mathule.

 With their village savings and loans association (VSLA), they have access to credit to fund their individual and group farming, as well as other needs like school fees. Last year, Ms Mathule used a loan and her dividends from the VSLA to add chicks to her poultry project.  Selling their poultry as a group also helps them fetch better prices than they would as individuals.

“The main challenge for farmers is that when you put money in the farm, you are not assured that you will get a return. Perhaps what you harvest will be just enough to cover costs. That’s why we must practise climate smart farming,” says Ms Mathule.

 

Some of the techniques the farmers are using are planting resilient seeds suitable for drylands, mulching, planting cover crops and ripping with tractors instead of ploughing, as part of conservation agriculture. They also practice crop rotation.

“When people complain of no harvest, you will not lack something to eat if you practise this type of agriculture. For pest control, monitor the crops early and spray that section if you find pests, to save the crop from infestation,” says Ms Mathule.

Even as they adapt to the changed weather patterns, Ms Mathule says that water remains a major challenge and suggests that digging farm ponds would be helpful as people can use that water for kitchen gardens to promote food sufficiency.

 

“We went to Tharaka Nithi and found it was even drier, but people had farm ponds which provided water for farming. When I came back home, I dug one, but within two weeks after the rain, the water had dried up, so I was advised to get a dam liner, but the cost of getting the dam done properly at Sh80,000 is rather high.”

For now, when the rains fail, the farmers rely on the community borehole about 10 kilometres away, or the community pond that is nearer home. They also buy water from neighbours with ponds.

In the neighbouring Sinai village, where Elizabeth Mutisya leads a 42-member group of farmers, the members bought two hens and a cock for each person, through table banking, to produce eggs for their consumption.

Ms Mutisya has learnt to plant drought-resilient cereals like cow peas and green grams, which  withstand the changing weather better. Like the other women farmers, she says that water is still a challenge for most farmers.

“What people need are dams so that if it rains they can collect water for vegetables because it has become harder to rely on rain-fed agriculture,” says Ms Mutisya, who had a farm pond dug just before the previous rain season in October.

 

This feature is supported by a grant from WAN-IFRA’s Women in News Social Impact Reporting Initiative on Climate Change

 

 

 

How seeds are saving women in Gilgil from hunger

In the face of poor harvests from frequent drought, women in Gilgil turn to indigenous knowledge on seed saving for food security, and it comes with reduction of intimate partner violence, reports FELISTA WANGARI

 

 For nearly a decade, Beatrice Wangui often stared at the rocky ground surrounding her new home in Langalanga, and reminisced upon the good old days in Molo, where farmland was in plenty, soil was fertile and bumper harvests of maize, beans and potatoes were routine.

Ms Wangui and her family were forced out of their home in Molo in December 2007, following the violence that erupted in light of the contested presidential election result. They initially sought refuge in Gilgil, before settling in Langalanga in 2012. There, the smallholder farmer family figured that farming would not be part of their new life.

“We bought the land we could find (and afford) at the time. We didn't have the luxury of being choosy, but the land was so rocky, I didn’t think anything could grow out of it,” says Ms Wangui, who is now a vegetable farmer in Langalanga, Nakuru County.

Back then Ms Wangui got by as a casual labourer on other people’s farms, until she learnt about dryland farming techniques from a local community group, which was being trained by Seed Savers Network, a Nakuru-based organisation that trains small-holder farmers to improve the productivity of their farms for food security.

“I learnt that crops could grow anywhere, even on rocky ground, and learnt that I didn’t have to worry about seeds,” she says

Beatrice Wangui, a vegetable farmer in Langa Langa in Nakuru County, never thought that the rocky ground in her home could produce food for her household, let alone surplus for sale. Photo | Seed Savers Network

With rains comes conflict

According to the Nakuru Climate Risk Profile, nine in 10 smallholder farmers growing crops like beans, garden peas and Irish potatoes use local or recycled seed. Moreover, like in other parts of the country, farmers in Nakuru rely on rain-fed agriculture, which is a challenge as rains are erratic and unpredictable.

 These two factors would come into play for women, on whose shoulders the burden of providing food is placed. During the rainy season, conflict, and in turn gender-based violence, would increase in homes.

“The onset of the rainy season comes with conflict (and violence) when women ask their husbands for money to buy seeds. You can’t plant when others are planting if your husband doesn’t have money or hasn’t given you money,” says Ms Wangui.

 According to Julia Kamau, the gender and agroecology officer at Seed Savers Network, for many of the women, land, which is owned by their husbands, is their only source of livelihood.

 “It can take even a month just to get Sh1,000 which may not be enough for a packet of seeds and other needs,” says Ms Kamau.

John Wainaina at his home in Gilgil, where he hosts the community seed bank for members of the 20 -member Kikopey Seed Banking Self-help Group, 16 0f whom are women. Photo | Felista Wangari 

 

Mitigation strategy

To get around the lack of seeds and money to buy them, women would seek work on other people’s farms to raise money for seeds, but that would affect their ability to use early planting as a climate adaptation strategy.

 “The rainy season is projected to start in the third and fourth week of March, but that was preceded by drought. This means people don’t have money because they didn’t harvest in the previous season. If it rains now and you don’t have seeds, you have to first work for those with money, so that you can get money to buy seeds. By the time you get to working on your own farm, the rain has subsided. When you have seeds, that is no longer a challenge,” says John Wainaina, who leads the Kikopey Seed Saving Self-Help Group in Gilgil.

Seed saving has been a game changer.

 

“We have seen transformation with the women when they are able to save seeds. They say that there are no more fights and quarrels because they are not asking anyone for money, and they have food. From this position, they have a voice at the table, respect and some independence. Giving a woman her own means of getting food doesn’t rely on another person is transformative,” says Ms Kamau, the gender officer at Seed Savers Network.

Ms Wangui, who shakes her head in disbelief when she recalls her journey from 2007 to this point, no longer has to worry about where the seeds or money to buy them will come from once the rains begin. She can also plant the seed varieties of her choice.

“When you start saving seeds and adopt better farming techniques, you don’t have to ask for money to buy seeds, salt or to go out and about because every day someone is buying your produce. You stop being a borrower because you now have your own seeds,” says Ms Wangui.

Eunice Wainaina, a teacher who practises farming with her husband Mr Wainaina of Kikopey Seed Savers Self-help Group, has 90 kilogrammes of bean seeds of various varieties in the seed bank -- enough to plant on nearly five acres. She says that having seeds in the seed bank means that she can plant early, which is one of the recommended climate adaptation strategies to minimise instances of failed crops. In addition to seed saving and early planting, her family uses permaculture to conserve moisture in the soil and help the crops grow long after the rains have subsided.

Get started with the 52-week Savings Challenge

 The most common question I get is "how do I start saving?" 

Initially, it used to take me aback because I thought, saving is easy: You commit to put aside a part of your income to help you achieve a goal that is valuable to you. Easy? Not that easy, as I have learnt during the four years I have spent building and running an online personal finance and entrepreneurship community. 

If you also wonder how you can start saving, here are some thoughts to get you started. 

1. Start with a goal. What are you saving for? Take some time to think about it. Write down all the things that are important and valuable to you, and what you want your money to do for you. Then prioritise based on your needs and choose one priority goal to start with.

2. How much do you want to save and how often? This will be determined by your income, income cycle, and your life circumstances. Choose an amount that is realistic and doable for you and a frequency that is realistic. For instance, if you earn a monthly salary, you might choose to save 10 per cent of your income every month, instead of trying to save daily or weekly. 

3. Where do you want to save? There are many options for savings accounts, depending on the needs you expect the account to meet. For instance, some people prefer to save on their Mshwari or KCB Mpesa mobile phone savings accounts, because they can easily transfer savings from their Mpesa wallets to their mobile savings accounts. Others will choose a savings account in a Sacco or bank. My preferred method is a money market fund, as it gives one the option of earning compound interest. Think about your needs and think about which savings account best fits your needs. 

4. Start saving and keep doing it consistently. Put in your initial savings and keep savings consistently, in accordance to your set frequency/saving schedule. The best way to ensure that you stay consistent, is to automate your savings using a standing order from your current/salary account to your savings account or ask your employer to have your savings deducted at payroll, and remitted to a savings account. Automating your savings ensures that you save without having to debate with yourself about it. It happens automatically, no stress. 

5. Get an accountability partner and check in with them regularly, to help you stay on track. Also have money dates with yourself every month to review your progress, troubleshoot challenges and make any adjustments that you need.

6. Seek guidance for the obstacles that are standing between you and your goals. 

7. Celebrate once you reach your target, and use the savings to achieve your goal.

Many people like to use a savings challenge chart to guide them for a start or to visualise and keep record of their progress. You can download savings charts by clicking on the links below: 

• Daily savings chart (blank)  for people who prefer to save daily
• Weekly savings chart (blank) for people who prefer to save weekly
• Weekly savings chart (Sh10) - the amount to save increases every week
• Weekly savings chart (Sh50) - the amount to save increases every week
• Weekly savings chart (Sh100) - the amount to save increases every week
• Monthly savings chart (blank) for people who prefer to save monthly
• Monthly savings chart (Sh6,000)
• Monthly savings chart (Sh11,500)

All the best as you work towards your goal and happy saving! If you have difficulties downloading the chart, please send a message on WhatsApp by clicking this link https://wa.me/message/7URPYRDSQC4E1

12 tricks to help you save and reach your financial goals faster

There is always an opportunity to save money to help you reach your goals faster. Here are some tricks you can use to help you save a little bit more if you are having difficulties finding money to save or in addition to your regular savings schedule 

1. Save automatically before you spend. 

When you get your income, before you do anything else, deduct your savings and put them into a savings account. To make it even easier, set up a check-off system from your employer (payroll department) to a money market fund or Sacco savings account or set up a standing order from your current/salary account to a savings account so that money is deducted automatically from your main account and transferred to your savings account before you touch it. Saving automatically is the best way to save without a struggle. 

For those who pay income tax (pay as you earn/PAYE), doesn’t the government take off 30% or so before you even touch your salary? And after the government and NHIF, NSSF, insurance, loans and everyone else has taken their cut, they leave the rest to you and you learn how to budget around it. Why not include yourself in the group of people who get their cut first, before you distribute what is left to your landlord, school and all those other people who are waiting for a chunk of your income? 

If you say that you will save after you have finished paying the bills, you will never have any money left to save, so prioritise and automate your savings. 

2. Save your loose change. At the end of every day, I empty my purse and divide the various coin denominations I find in there into two. For example all 10 bobs are put into two piles, then all 20 bobs and all 5 bobs. The first pile goes back into my purse, and the second pile goes into the piggy bank I use for saving coins. When it fills up, I top up if I need to and transfer it to my money market fund account.

 

3. Save all 50 bobs or all 100 bobs that pass through your hands. Just like in (2) above, you can decide to save all the Sh50 or Sh100 or any other denomination of your choice that pass through your wallet. 

4. When you finish paying off a loan, don't stop. What do I mean? Take that money you've been paying a loan with and set up an automatic standing order to a savings account or set up a check-off system to a money market fund. So say you've been paying Sh5, 500 for a loan every month and you have just finished paying your loan, instead of finding ways to spend that Sh5, 500, start saving it, preferably using an automatic standing order or check-off system. If you save that Sh5, 500 you used to pay your now paid-up loan with for 12 months, you will have Sh66, 000 to help you reach your savings goals faster. 

5. Save your salary increment. If you get a raise (salary increment) at work, instead of adjusting your budget/lifestyle upwards to absorb that money, continue living on the same amount you were living on before (as if you are still earning the old salary) and save the extra amount your employer has given you. So say you get a Sh6, 000 raise, you can set up a standing order to save that money automatically and in 12 months, you’d have Sh72, 000 in savings. This is the same principle in number (4) above. 

6. The same applies to if you “find” money. Finding money means getting money you were not expecting, such as a refund, a discount, reimbursement of costs by your employer, or even finding a Sh1, 000 note in a trouser pocket you had forgotten long ago. Instead of using that money, put it directly into your savings account without second thought. 

7. Save your lunch money. Carry lunch to work a few days a week and save your lunch money. For instance, if you usually buy lunch at work for Sh300, you can decide that on Mondays and Thursdays you will carry lunch from home, so that week, you save Sh600 and put it into your savings account. You could decide to carry lunch three days a week, so that week you'll save Sh900. You could decide to carry lunch the whole week, so that week you'll save Sh1,500 or more.

 

8. Save your fuel. You could do the same with your car. If public transport is cheaper than using your car, you could decide that three days a week, you'll take a matatu home and save the amount you would have spent on fuel on those three days. You could also decide that that whole week, you'll take a matatu and put the amount of money you would have used on fuel into your savings. 

9. Do a spending fast. In religious circles, to fast is to abstain from food/eating for a specified period of time during which one says fervent prayers for a specific purpose. You can apply this principle to personal finance to help you save. This is basically the principle behind point (5) and (6) above and it basically means cutting off everything that you don’t need to survive and saving the money that you would normally use on the non-essentials. 

To be able to do a proper spending fast, you have to first know where exactly all your money is going -- every last coin -- so first track your expenses for a month and then evaluate what you actually need (essentials/things that you honestly cannot live without) and things you can actually do without. 

Once you see where exactly your money is going, you can cut back on the non-essentials and the money you save by not spending, should go directly to your savings account. This could mean carrying lunch instead of buying lunch every day (if you carry lunch from home for a full month, and you usually spend Sh300 on lunch every day, you’ll be able to save Sh6, 000 or more that month. Put it into your savings account). You can also cut back on coffee and alcohol, you won’t die without them (unless you are addicted). Say you spend Sh3, 000 on alcohol every weekend, if you decide to reduce that amount to Sh1, 000, you will save Sh8, 000 that month. If you decide to do an alcohol-free month, you will save Sh12, 000 that month. You can even decide to do without DSTV for a month, you won’t die from not watching pay TV. 

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have fun; saving is not all gloom and doom; on the contrary, if you learn how to optimise your spending, you will not only have more fun and less stress, but you will also be able to achieve those things you only used to dream about, but thought that you could never afford them. 

Secondly, if you do your spending in moderation and do your spending fast for limited periods of time (rather than forever -- that would make you a miserable miser), you will find money to boost your savings. (We’ll talk about having fun while still being able to save in another post.) 

10. Carry only the exact amount of money you need. This goes hand-in-hand with the spending fast. So say my fare is usually constant at Sh200 for the trip to work and back and I use Sh200 for lunch, that day I will carry exactly Sh400 in my purse or Sh500. I will make sure that my Mpesa balance is zero (and resist the temptation to opt into Fuliza), that my bank accounts are not linked with mobile money, so I can’t transact from my phone, that I don’t carry ATM cards, etc. This means that even if I am tempted to buy things on impulse, I simply cannot because I don’t have any money on me to spend. (We’ll tackle impulse buying in another post). 

11. Round it up. When you buy something and the cost does not end in 0 (zero), save the amount of money it would take to get the cost to end with 0 (zero). For example, if you buy something costing Sh42, put the 8 bob change in a piggy bank or transfer an equivalent amount to your Mshwari Lock account. If you use a piggy bank, when it fills up, you can transfer the full amount to your savings account or money market fund. 

12. Lastly, make it difficult to access your savings. A savings account without a debit card (ATM withdrawal card) and with limited withdrawals, is best. I have a Sacco savings account that only allows you to withdraw money at the end of the year. 

I have a money market fund account where withdrawing money takes like three days and where the first withdrawal is free, but subsequent withdrawals are charged Sh1,000 per withdrawal. 

When I think of paying Sh1,000 to withdraw, I just let my savings be unless I have actually accumulated the exact amount I need to meet a certain goal, then I can withdraw and pay for my goal without feeling the pinch. So do whatever it takes to create a barrier between you and your savings, to make it hard for you to withdraw your savings anyhow and any time. You are saving for a purpose and you cannot achieve your financial goals if at all you can withdraw your savings randomly to buy things on a whim. 

I hope these tips help you save more money, and if there are additional tips you use, please share in the comments. Happy saving! 

*These tips were first shared in the 52-Week Savings Challenge Kenya in 2016

Affordable housing in Kenya: How it's going to work

The government plans to build 500,000 houses as part of it's affordable housing project. According to the affordable housing portal (Boma Yangu), this is how it is going to work.

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Kenyans will register and state the kind of house they want and in which county on the affordable housing portal. Right now the registration is to gauge interest and assess needs (what kind of houses people want).

Once you register, you'll get a unique identification number to use to make monthly contributions to the Housing Fund, managed by the National Housing Corporation (NHC).

Making contributions

You can make your contribution as:

1.   Statutory contributor – This is the mandatory contribution deducted by your employer from your salary (1.5%) and submitted to the Housing Fund every month. Contributions are capped at Sh2,500 per employee and employer per month.
2. Voluntary contributor – If you choose this option, you can contribute as much or as little as you want. You can withdraw these funds after five years for housing related activities or after 15 years or upon reaching retirement age (65 years). Your contribution will not be taxed at the time of withdrawal. If you choose to make voluntary contributions, you will not be able to access your money at any time. You will be subject to withdrawal rules (after five years for housing-related projects or after 15 years or retirement age).
3.  Joint contributors – This option allows you to make a contribution towards one house at a time with your husband or wife, but you can each choose to contribute individually. You can also do this jointly with other people towards one house. If you apply jointly, your incomes will be assessed jointly and the title of the house will be issued in the name of all the joint applicants.

You can monitor your contributions on the portal. If your income changes, the contribution made towards the Housing Fund will adjust proportionately to reflect the change.

Will my contributions earn interest?

Your contributions will earn a return every year, which will be announced based on the Housing Fund’s performance.

Allocation of houses

Allocation of houses will start when construction begins. Civil servants, the police and other members of the disciplined forces will get the first right to 30 per cent and 20 per cent of all available housing units, with the rest going to other Kenyans. The allocations will be computerised (done by an algorithm that sifts through profiles in the portal to prioritise those who need the affordable house most). If you don’t get allocated a house in the initial allocation, you will be put on a waiting list and given priority in the next allocation round. You can only buy one house under the affordable housing plan.

Factors to be considered in allocation:

1. When you registered (first come, first served)
2. Your income
3.  Family status (families will get preference)
4. Vulnerable groups
5. How much deposit you’ve accumulated through monthly contributions
6. Your assets
7.  Demand for your preferred type of house

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What kind of house do I qualify for?

The affordable housing scheme targets people in the following income groups (low and middle-income or people who earn less than Sh100,000 per month). The kind of house you qualify for will be based on your income.  

1.  Social housing – Kenyans who earn up to Sh19,999
2.  Low-cost housing – Kenyans who earn between Sh20,000 and Sh49,999
3. Mortgage gap – Kenyans who earn between Sh50,000 and Sh100,000

Those who earn less than Sh20,000 per month will be offered three options:

1.  One-room house at a cost of Sh600,000
2. Two-roomed house at a cost of Sh1 million
3. Three-roomed house at a cost of Sh1.35 million

Those who earn between Sh20,000 and Sh150,000 per month, will also get three options:

1.  One bedroom house (30 square feet) at a cost of Sh1 million
2.  Two bedroom house (40 square feet) at a cost of Sh2 million
3. Three bedroom house (60 square feet) at a cost of Sh3 million

You will be advised on the projected monthly rent-to-own payments based on the 3% to 7% per annum interest rates.

To ensure that those who qualify for social housing are the actual beneficiaries of the houses being built for them, the government plans to verify and register them in their communities. If there is more demand than supply for social housing, those who need affordable housing more will get priority.

How will I pay for the house?

Eligible Kenyans (those who earn less than Sh100,000) can buy the houses through the National Tenant Purchase Scheme (a rent-to-own model). What this means is that once you are allocated a house, you will be living in the house and paying “rent”, but in this case, that money goes towards owning that house, such that once you have paid for the full cost of the house, it belongs to you and you can stop paying rent. The mortgage or home loan will be offered at a fixed interest rate of 3% to 7% per year over a 25-year period. This means that your “rent” will not change/in the 25 years you take to pay for the house.

Monthly costs (service charge)

Apart from the monthly rent-to-own payments, you will also be required to pay an affordable service charge to a company contracted to maintain the facilities including the common areas and to fund major repairs of the housing complex. You will continue to pay the service charge long after you have finished to pay for the house.

What happens to those who earn above Sh100,000?

If you don’t fall within the above income groups (you earn more than Sh100,000), you will contribute to the Housing Fund (remember there are mandatory contributions for those who are employed, and you can also do voluntary contributions), but because you are not eligible to be allocated an affordable housing unit, you will have access to cheaper home loans from banks and Saccos through funding from the government’s Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC).

You can also get your contributions after five years and use them for other housing-related activities, such as a deposit (down payment) for a mortgage, mortgage repayment or to improve your house.

 If you don’t claim your savings for housing-related activities, you can get them back after 15 years or upon attainment of retirement age. So say you earn Sh100,000 a month and you pay Sh1,500 a month (1.5%) for the Housing Fund, in five years you will have contributed Sh90,000 and in 15 years you will have contributed Sh270,000 (if your income doesn’t change).

If you contribute Sh2,500 a month, in five years you will have contributed Sh150,000, and in 15 years you will have contributed Sh450,000.

Tax relief

Those registered on the affordable housing portal are eligible for tax credit/relief equivalent to the amount contributed or the lower tax payable, up to a maximum of Sh9,000 per month. Self-employed Kenyans who are registered on the portal will also get tax relief, and both mandatory and voluntary contributions will get tax relief. For the employed, the deductions and tax relief will be handled at payroll. For the self-employed, you will get your tax credit when filing your taxes. First-time home owners/buyers will not pay stamp duty.

Who is building the houses?

The houses will be built by private developers, who will then sell them to the government, which will then offer the houses to Kenyans registered on the affordable housing portal. The government will provide land for building the houses, including in the counties, build access roads and the transport network, and set up infrastructure (electricity and water and sewerage). The housing portal will help in automated identification of the buyers.

Upcoming projects will be announced on the housing portal, in the newspapers, on radio and in Huduma Centre.

Rural areas

The government will support homeowners in rural areas to improve the homes they live in or to build new ones using locally-available quality building materials such as stabilised soil blocks. Already, 92 Appropriate Building Technology (ABT) centres have been constructed across the country, with a plan to have one in every constituency, then one in every ward across Kenya. Staff at these centres will offer technical assistance and equipment to members of the public to improve the quality of their houses. There will be Matofali machines, which are used for the manufacture of stabilised soil blocks, for hire. TVET colleges will also train members of the public on how to use cost-effective and environmentally-sustainable building technologies and how to modernise construction practices while preserving cultural values. Kenyans living in rural areas can apply for funding from the Housing Fund at 7% interest rate.

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Can I get a house if I don’t have a regular income?

Yes, but you have to prove that you are able to make regular monthly loan payments.

What if I am unable to pay the monthly payments?

The payment terms are designed to be affordable and flexible, geared towards helping you secure your home. However, every case will be looked at on a case by case basis. The government will engage insurance companies to develop home insurance products to cover home owners/buyers against losing their home if they lose their income/job. The cover will pay all or part of the monthly mortgage payment for a limited time, if a person loses their job involuntarily or if they lose income due business disruption, disability, hospitalisation, death.

Can I sell my house?

You will have to wait for eight years before you are allowed to sell the house. If you want to sell it before eight years have lapsed, you can only sell it back to the Housing Fund and retain the equity build-up i.e. the amount of your home you actually own, based on the amount of money you have already paid for it.

What happens if I die?

The house can be transferred to your next of kin.

For more information log on to:

 http://bomayangu.go.ke

http://www.housingandurban.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Development-Framework-Guidelines-Release-Version.pdf