NAIROBI — Kenya’s largest workers’ union has distanced itself from government housing regulations, accusing a top official of misleading the public and putting workers’ money at risk.
In a scathing statement issued on Friday, the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) flatly denied claims by Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga that it had backed the Affordable Housing Regulations.
“That is false and misleading,” said COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli. “At no point did the Executive Board of COTU sit to support the said regulations.”
The Executive Board is the union’s main decision-making body. According to Atwoli, it never discussed, let alone approved, any endorsement of the government’s housing levy plan.
He challenged the principal secretary to produce evidence to the contrary. “Let him show the minutes or letters if they exist,” Atwoli said.
The clash comes at a delicate moment for the Ruto administration, which has faced growing scrutiny over the Affordable Housing Fund a programme funded in part by mandatory deductions from workers’ salaries. Critics have questioned both the transparency and the real purpose of the fund.
Atwoli took particular issue with reports that the levy might be used to bankroll infrastructure projects like roads and dams.
“That would not only be dishonest,” he said, “but a betrayal of Kenyan workers. These are projects already covered in the national budget. You can’t ask workers to pay twice.”
The union also pushed back against suggestions that its representative on the Affordable Housing Fund Board, Ernest Nadome, had given consent on its behalf.
“Nadome has no authority to commit COTU to any matter of this scale without a resolution from the Executive Board,” Atwoli said.
The union now wants President William Ruto to personally step in and guarantee that funds deducted under the housing levy will go directly towards building homes not unrelated infrastructure.
“We are not against affordable housing,” Atwoli clarified. “We are against the misuse of funds and lack of proper consultation.”
The controversy is just the latest headache for the Ruto government as it attempts to push ahead with its housing agenda. The programme, which has faced legal battles and mixed public reception, is a key plank in the president’s development plans.
Efforts to reach PS Hinga for a response were unsuccessful at the time of publication. However, the Ministry of Housing has in the past defended the fund’s structure, insisting it aims to give more Kenyans access to decent shelter.
But for COTU, the issue goes beyond policy.
“This is about trust,” said Atwoli. “And right now, that trust is in short supply.”
