DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua
By IP Reporter
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP)
DCP leader and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has declared that should he become president, his first order of business will be to scrap the controversial housing levy, refund everyone’s deductions and hand over all government-built houses to counties.
“On day one, I’ll cancel the levy and counties will manage the houses, collect rent, and reimburse every Kenyan who was taxed,” Gachagua said, to the applause of those who hadn’t done the math yet.
Analysts say the plan would instantly turn Kenya’s 47 counties into the country’s largest real estate firms, with governors doubling as landlords and county assemblies fighting over who gets to play caretaker.
Some Kenyans on social media joked that counties should start preparing rent invoices with their logos and a polite note that says, “Karibu Nyumbani, Please Pay Promptly.”
It remains unclear how exactly counties would handle thousands of new tenants, or where the money for refunds would come from.
Gachagua insisted refunds will be made, raising questions of whether Kenyans should start queuing outside county treasuries with payslip stubs, or perhaps just wait for a surprise M-Pesa text.
Critics suggested the promise was less about policy and more about politics, with one opposition figure quipping that Kenya might soon witness “affordable housing, affordable confusion and affordable campaign promises.”
For now, Kenyans are left with the image of county governments moonlighting as landlords — sending out notices, arguing with tenants about broken taps and possibly introducing “political rent holidays” every election season.
If Gachagua does become president, Kenyans may not just get their money back.
They might also get a county government that finally fixes their leaking roofs — or at least promises to do so on its own “first day.”
