President William Ruto has announced a plan to introduce new reforms that will give Kenyans contributing to the Housing Levy access to affordable home loans.
Speaking during Madaraka Day celebrations on Sunday, June 1, Ruto said any Kenyan who has been contributing to the Housing Levy will be eligible to access a home loan of up to Ksh5 million at a single-digit interest rate.
The Head of State added that the loan will not be limited to government-built houses but will apply to any housing unit available in the market.
"Fellow Kenyans, in recognition and appreciation of the sacrifice made by patriotic Kenyans through their contributions to the Housing Levy, I am pleased to announce today that we shall be proposing to Parliament a reform to the law that will allow any contributor to access an affordable home loan of up to Ksh5 million at a single-digit interest rate, applicable toward any housing unit in the market," he said.
Ruto further explained that the loan will help contributors who already have mortgages by allowing them to offset their existing loans using the same arrangement.
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“This facility will also enable contributors to offset existing mortgages, offering greater flexibility in their housing journey and allowing many to significantly ease their home financing costs,” he added.
Ruto assured Kenyans that the reforms are intended to ensure their contributions directly benefit them, whether through acquiring new homes, accessing home loans, or reducing the burden of current mortgages.
“These reforms will ensure that every shilling contributed to the Housing Levy works for the contributor, whether through access to affordable housing, home loans, or mortgage relief,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Ruto announced measures to optimise the Social Health Authority (SHA) and make it efficient for the beneficiaries.
He noted that since its rollout last October, the new health scheme had made access to health cover easier for the common citizenry.
Ruto said that over 23 million people had been registered in SHA since its inception, with an average of 50,000 new registrations daily.
"To address persistent challenges such as irregular premiums and other contributions among informal sector workers, we are introducing an innovative and inclusive payment solution called Lipa SHA Pole Pole or Lipa SHA Mosmos.
"This initiative enables Kenyans to remit their annual SHA contributions through flexible, manageable instalments, whether monthly, weekly, or even daily, based on their financial ability," he said.
Ruto said the payment system has been actualised through a multi-agency approach involving the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs, mobile network operators, and financial institutions.
To register, one dials *147# and then complies with the prompts.
