The High Court has dealt a significant blow to President William Ruto’s affordable housing initiative by suspending construction of numerous housing units in Nairobi’s Lang’ata region.
During a ruling on Friday, May 29, a three-judge bench halted the contentious Southlands Affordable Housing Project, criticizing the government for advancing with the development without sufficient public involvement.
The court additionally revoked a permit granted by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), immediately stopping all project activities.
This housing initiative, designed to provide more than 15,000 affordable units in Lang’ata, forms part of Ruto’s comprehensive strategy to tackle Kenya’s housing shortage.
Nevertheless, a group of Lang’ata residents filed a lawsuit claiming that the project violated environmental regulations.
According to their judgment, the judges determined that the approval process for the project did not satisfy constitutional standards for public participation and environmental safeguards.
The panel additionally pointed out that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure was defective and failed to address issues raised by local residents about the project’s possible environmental impact.
This ruling now creates uncertainty for one of the primary housing initiatives under the Kenya Kwanza administration, which has committed substantial political and financial resources to the Affordable Housing Programme.
The decision comes after a petition submitted by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah contested the project, asserting that it was proceeding on public land without community consultation.
In his petition, the outspoken legislator further claimed that preliminary examinations indicated irregularities in the approvals for such construction.
Concurrently, Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga, responding officially to Okiya Omtatah’s petition, defended the government’s stance and requested the court to reject the case.
Hinga maintained that the State Department for Housing completely adhered to public participation, environmental, and planning protocols in executing the Southlands Affordable Housing Project.
He emphasized that substantial public engagement occurred through household surveys, key informant interviews, and community gatherings across Kibra Lots 1 to 5 in Mugumo-ini Ward within Lang’ata Constituency.