Former President Uhuru Kenyatta Snubbed as Gov’t Credits God for Mukuru Housing: “Tulikuwa Sote”
- Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura clarified that former president Uhuru Kenyatta was not credited for the Mukuru housing project
- Mwaura explained that Uhuru's administration had only laid supporting infrastructure but did not initiate actual housing construction
- He maintained there was no bad blood between the Jubilee and Kenya Kwanza administrations, asserting the project was expanded under President William Ruto
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TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
Why former president Uhuru Kenyatta is missing from the accolades over the Mukuru housing project success has sparked debate, but the government insists there’s a reason.
Source: UGC
The Mukuru affordable housing project, recently launched by President William Ruto, has drawn both praise and criticism, particularly over the apparent snub of former president Uhuru Kenyatta, who many believe laid its foundation.
But on Thursday, May 22, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura dismissed claims that Uhuru should be credited, saying only God deserves recognition for the project's success.
Speaking during an interview on NTV, Mwaura refuted suggestions that Uhuru initiated the housing construction, clarifying that the former administration only prepared the groundwork.
"During Uhuru's reign, there were plans to build infrastructure to support the housing programme, like roads and hospitals, but not the houses themselves. These homes were built in just two years after Ruto took power," Mwaura explained.
Why didn't Ruto credit Uhuru's role in Mukuru housing?
Pressed on why the president had not acknowledged Uhuru’s initial involvement, Mwaura said it was unnecessary since the former head of state and Ruto had worked together in the Jubilee administration.
"We were together in the Jubilee government, and the housing project was part of the big four agenda. That’s how we brought it forward into our Kenya Kwanza manifesto," he stated.
Source: Twitter
Mwaura went on to argue that the project had simply been delayed under Jubilee and later amplified under Ruto's leadership.
"It’s like the project was postponed, but Ruto picked it up and expanded it beyond the original plan."
"Let’s not politicise this. We thank God alone because He made it possible for us to complete the project successfully," he said.
He also dismissed speculation of a rift between Ruto and his predecessor.
"There is no bad blood between Ruto and Uhuru and no conflict between the visions we had in Jubilee and what we now have in Kenya Kwanza," Mwaura affirmed.
How much rent will Mukuru residents pay?
In a related development, over 1,000 residents of Mukuru Kwa Njenga moved into the newly completed affordable bedsitters under the government’s rent-to-own housing scheme.
Each tenant is required to pay KSh 2,800 per month—an amount the government said mirrors what many had been paying in informal settlements.
Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga explained that the initiative aims to ease the "penalty of poverty" faced by slum dwellers, where basic services such as water and electricity are often more expensive than in formal estates.
He added that the true cost of service charges alone in the new estate would have been over KSh 3,000, but a KSh 2,000 subsidy was offered due to residents' economic vulnerability.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
