Raila calls for another dialogue over Affordable housing

Azimio leader Raila Odinga is now calling for another national dialogue over the affordable housing project. https://rb.gy/hd4ps2

Transcript

00:00 If you're doing this affordable housing thing, it must be affordable.

00:06 We came up with slum upgrading in towns because we found that in Nairobi, 60% of the population here live in slums.

00:16 And we started with Kibra, which is in my constituency, to do slum upgrading, that program.

00:26 And how do you do it? Because it's not a standard thing, one size fits all.

00:33 That you have got one design of flats or apartments, and people are paying so much, and you're going to deduct to go and construct.

00:46 First, you're solving basic problems. You're solving the problem of shelter housing.

00:55 But secondly, you must also solve the problem of work.

01:02 Three, the problem of education. Four, the problem of health care.

01:08 So all those settlements which are being done there, they're not the same designs.

01:14 Depends on the need and the area.

01:17 Here, people are going to be living here.

01:21 Where are they going to work? Where is the market? Where is the health center? Where is the school?

01:33 So it becomes one community.

01:37 So these people have a place where they're going to work, like in Kibra, the program we came up with.

01:43 It has not been implemented.

01:46 We're going to put up apartments. We're also going to put up shops where people will work and create wealth.

01:56 Then there's going to be a market where they will take their wares.

02:02 There's going to be a health center. There's going to be a school for the children.

02:08 That is what you call integrated development.

02:12 And people apply, those who want houses, some of them are made to pay a deposit.

02:20 The government made provision in the budget for rolling out this program, countrywide.

02:27 So there are definitely beneficiaries who are going to benefit,

02:33 and we don't lack beneficiaries who will come voluntarily to agree, "10% I will pay. 15% I will pay."

02:43 But not that each and every person must pay, whether you're going to benefit from this program or not.

02:51 You must pay. Even if you have a house already, you don't need a house, you must pay.

02:57 You must pay. You must pay. You must pay. You must pay. You must pay.

03:03 We have already paid. We don't want to hear it again.

03:08 We don't want to hear it again, "You must pay. You must pay."

03:12 That's what's gone with it.

03:14 So if you want to do this, Kenyans, you must pay.

03:19 Let us have a proper dialogue, a national dialogue,

03:24 about how this program is going to be rolled out, so people own it properly,

03:29 so people understand what you want to do.

03:32 Then it will be owned.

03:34 When we were making transformation with Kibaki, we convened a conference at Bomas of Kenya.

03:43 One week, we called it "The Kenya We Want."

03:47 And people dialogued and agreed what needed to be done in our country.

03:57 [END]

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