Why most teachers may not be interested in State’s housing plan
Organizing citizens to achieve decent livelihoods through the construction of amenities that would ensure basic social infrastructure, such as hospitals, roads, schools, and markets, is one of the government’s main tasks. This is accomplished by planning in a number of government areas, including those dealing with foreign cooperation, education, agriculture, trade, energy, and sports.
Planning offers a direction for activity during a specific time frame. Plans can help everyone work together to achieve goals like raising citizen living standards and enhancing service delivery. Planning enhances resource use, and it is in accordance with a plan that budgets are created and funding sources are found. Plans encourage effort and dedication to work and service delivery. Plans establish performance benchmarks and provide flexibility for improved outcomes.
All income levels are to have access to 200,000 housing units annually under the National Development Plan’s Vision 2030 Strategy. This is done to guarantee that government employees and other working people have access to decent housing. Due to a scarcity of roughly two million housing units, Kenya has only been able to provide 50,000 additional housing units since the program’s beginning, indicating the government has not met the aim set forth in the National Development Plan.
The private sector will undoubtedly occupy the majority of the housing units, with 80% of them going to high-end consumers and the other 20% to middle-class residents.
Rapid urbanization, which has increased demand for housing, infrastructure, and other related facilities, has been steady at 4.3% between 2019 and 2022. Sixty-one percent of city people live in slums as a result of this pressure. This indicates that the housing project could be highly helpful in metropolitan areas.
In order to provide Kenyans, particularly those living in urban areas, with quality, secure, and inexpensive housing, the Kenya Kwanza Government has placed a lot of emphasis on the inexpensive Housing Programme (AHP). The goal is to provide housing for government employees and civil servants whose incomes do not allow them to afford decent housing in urban regions.
The government believed that this would help produce jobs for masons, carpenters, plumbers, and electricians in addition to housing. The construction site would be a hub for job and wealth creation unlike any other, with Jua Kali artists creating windows and doors and mama mandazi na chai serving tea. The program’s economic effects are anticipated to increase GDP from 7% to 14%.
The AHP was first introduced to teachers and government employees in 2017, but it failed to take off since instructors were not properly included in the introduction. The administration had by that point suggested a 1.5% deduction. The government plans to take 3% off today.
With 700,000 public servants as the target audience, contributors would be permitted to purchase the homes through a cooperative arrangement such as paying in installments.
The housing plan has been fiercely opposed by teachers, government employees, and their unions, who have also urged that the government raise their pay first. If nothing is done in terms of compensation increases, teachers’ pay slips may not have the strength to support any additional programs. In light of this, the Kenya National Union of Teachers proposed a 60% pay raise to the employer in the CBA for the period 2021–2025.
In order to properly understand how it can administer the program, the government should think about reviewing the data on various groupings within the teaching profession and determining whether it is necessary to speak with teachers and their representatives.
On matters that have an impact on their life, teachers should be consulted through their unions. Before making important choices that affect people’s lives, the government should always consult with the public.
Why most teachers may not be interested in State’s housing plan
