The State Department of Housing has increased rents in all government-owned residential houses by 10 per cent effective April 1, 2022.
The rent hike will majorly affect civil servants who are residing in state-owned houses.
Housing Permanent Secretary Charles Hinga in a letter to Permanent Secretary Treasury Julius Muia dated January 18, 2022, said that civil servants occupying State houses will be required to pay 10 per cent more of the prevailing rates.
Principal Secretary State Department of Housing and Urban Development, Charles Hinga. |Photo| Courtesy|
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“Notice is hereby given that effective April 1, 2022, rent on all government residential houses will be increased by 10 percent of the prevailing rates,’ Hinga said.
“These reviews will still be way below the market rate since government residential houses are part of employer-assisted housing for civil servants.”
The PS stated that the government had raised the rent since occupants of the residential premises had received increments in house allowances since 2001 but continued to par stagnant amounts of rent.
“It is important to note that there have been several reviews on house allowance for civil servants since 2001 but the rent applicable to houses they occupy has remained largely the same over the said period,” he said.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu in June 2021 tabled a report in parliament indicating that nearly half of civil servants occupying government houses do not pay rent as required.
According to the report, rent collections on government houses for the year to June 2020 was Ksh724.3 million out of an annual rent potential of Ksh1.5 billion when fully occupied.
The total number of government houses across the 47 counties stands at 56,892 houses with an expected monthly rental income of Ksh127,048,750 resulting in an annual rent potential of Ksh1,524,585,000 assuming full occupancy.
