Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris says the contentious housing levy proposed in the Finance Bill, 2023, is the way to address settlement problems in the city.
The proposal wants employees to pay three per cent of their monthly salaries to support President William Ruto’s ambitious plan to provide affordable housing to Kenyans.
But it has been met with opposition from a section of Kenyans, with some calling for the levy to be made a voluntary contribution.
Passaris however argues there is a need to wipe away slums from the city, which she says are an embarrassment to their inhabitants, especially when juxtaposed against affluent neighbourhoods and shopping malls.
“We need to eliminate slums and all the things that come with them; there is increased crime, illegal connections of electricity, and fires every week. Nairobi should not have fancy malls like Two Rivers, Sarit and Village Market and at the same time you have people living down the road in such total indignity,” the woman representative told KTN News in a Tuesday morning interview.
In her view, the housing levy, if used correctly without being embezzled, will address housing challenges.
“Let’s give the benefit of the doubt and pray that the government deals decisively with corruption. If the government does not deal with corruption, we’re going to have a massive problem no matter how much we collect we will not deliver the services,” Passaris told the broadcaster.
Analysts have criticised the government’s plan saying the proposed taxes on housing would be hard to implement given that the first one failed and also considering the hard economic times that Kenyans are in.
Source-https://citizen.digital/
Esther Passaris: I Support The Housing Fund To Eliminate Slums
