CS Wahome Demands Gachagua Provide Evidence on Affordable Housing Scandal to EACC

Lands, Housing, and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has challenged former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to present any evidence of corruption within the Affordable Housing Programme to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

CS Wahome, who was speaking in Machakos on Wednesday, dismissed claims from Gachagua that the programme is a business venture from which some government officials and companies selling building materials allegedly profit.

Gachagua alleged that the housing levy collected from Kenyans is meant to ensure the continued construction of houses, allowing government officials to keep selling cement, metal, and iron sheets. “If the PS wants to build affordable housing, they must go and sign a subcontract with a company selling cement, metal, and iron sheets. In that company, the bigwigs of the country are part of that company,” Gachagua alleged.

However, in a rejoinder, CS Wahome pointed out that Gachagua was part of the government during the planning and implementation of several projects, adding that he even championed and launched some of the projects himself before being ousted from the government.

“The procurement is public. So for somebody at the level of my 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 ESCC where that is and who happens to be there so that then they can help me to deal with that as a corruption issue,” CS Wahome asserted after inspecting the progress of affordable housing projects in Machakos.

According to Wahome, the procurement process is domiciled at her office and once the procurement is done, it is up to the contractor to choose his suppliers for each site.

“The procurement is at my office. We take full responsibility for the process of procurement. The contractor buys his own materials, and I’m sure in this place there are people who are supplying stone and sand,” Wahome explained.

CS Wahome further explained that the project has created numerous job opportunities for Kenyans, that the procurement process has been transparent, and that the project received government approval.

“Are you telling Kenyans that if you become president, then you will stop Kenyans from owning this home?” CS Wahome questioned.

She, therefore, urged Kenyans not to listen to the naysayers, noting that the release of the houses to the public is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025, with 4,000 units expected to be handed over.

The housing units come in different typologies, including social, affordable, and market categories, with options for studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units.

The smallest units will range from Ksh3,000 for low-income earners to Ksh7,000 per month, depending on the type of house chosen. “Gachagua, you’re promising bad leadership. You’re now losing it,” Wahome stated.