Majority of Registered Kenyans Have Not Paid Affordable Housing Deposits

Nearly 80 percent of Kenyans registered for the government’s affordable housing programme have not made the mandatory five percent deposit required to secure a unit.

As of May 2025, 816,780 people had signed up on the Boma Yangu portal, but only 163,598 had made any contributions, leaving 653,182 registrants without payments. Most savers have accumulated less than Sh100,000, while only 46 individuals have surpassed Sh1 million.

The scheme is funded through a 1.5 percent levy on gross earnings, introduced in March 2024, with employers matching employee contributions. The Kenya Revenue Authority has collected Sh125 billion under the levy, including Sh73.1 billion in the year to June 2025. Despite these collections, many potential homeowners have not yet made individual deposits.

Eligibility for housing depends on income. Those earning below Sh20,000 per month qualify for social housing, middle-income earners are allocated affordable units, and individuals earning above Sh150,000 fall into the middle-class housing category. By May 2025, the fund held Sh1.08 billion, including Sh764.2 million in member savings awaiting allocation and Sh320.7 million from investment income, primarily in short-term government securities.

The Affordable Housing Board, established under the 2024 Act, oversees the fund. Since the programme began, the National Housing Corporation (NHC) has received Sh3.4 billion in contributions, disbursed Sh2.6 billion to projects, and generated Sh320 million in investment income. 

Completed developments include the Park Road project in Nairobi, which delivered 1,370 units, of which 597 went to Boma Yangu members who had met the deposit requirement, paying between Sh75,000 and Sh200,000 depending on unit size.

Houses have also been handed over in Mukuru and Homa Bay, while construction continues on 210,446 units nationwide, scheduled for completion by June 2026.