Truth Behind Govt Hiring 17,800 Kenyans in Ruto Legacy Project

Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has revealed that the state has not advertised 17,897 vacancies amid claims that the government is looking to recruit various sets of workers in the ongoing construction of affordable houses.

On Tuesday, PS Hinga flagged as fake a notice purportedly issued by the government calling for applications from handy workers ranging from plumbers, carpenters, drivers, and data entry clerks among others.

The notice, ridden with errors, claimed that the government was targeting to hire 2,319 masons, 1,805 plumbers, 1,615 carpenters, 7,810 ground workers, and 1,075 truck operators.

Notably, the notice listed an Outlook email as the receiving address instead of a certified State Ministry portal.

“The Government of Kenya is currently facilitating the development of 250,000 Affordable Housing units per year. This is a transformative agenda that will go beyond the provision of decent homes to deserving Kenyans and also trigger economic transformation, job, and wealth creation,” read the fake notice in part.

“Qualified and interested Kenyans should send their application documents consisting of a well-detailed CV and Cover Letter to (hidden email) not later than October 27, 2023.”

As part of his legacy blueprint, President William Ruto promised to construct 200,000 housing units annually to ease pressure on housing across the country.

Addressing a church congregation in Riruta on Sunday, the President confirmed that 40,000 units were already under construction in Nairobi.

He further revealed that before year-end, an additional 30,000 units would be added to the project. He also promised that low-income Kenyans would be prioritised in allocation.

The Head of State further stated that millions of youth would benefit from the project expected to create direct and indirect jobs. He, however, remained mum on the exact number of Kenyans that will benefit from the project.

In June, Hinga told the 9th Global Affordable Housing Conference in Washington DC that Ruto’s administration had prioritised the housing project because the country was suffering from an acute housing deficit.

The PS told the conference attendees that 90 percent of Nairobi residents were unable to own homes which he cited as one of the reasons behind the government’s move to introduce a 1.5 percent levy for salaried Kenyans to finance the project.