NAIROBI, Kenya — Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has claimed that more than six million working Kenyans have had money deducted from their payslips to finance the government’s Affordable Housing Programme.
Speaking during a local radio interview on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Maanzo criticised President William Ruto’s administration over the levy, saying it had increased the financial burden on workers.
“More than six million Kenyans who are working, their payslips have been raided for the monies to be used for housing,” Maanzo said.
Maanzo calls for housing levy to be scrapped
Maanzo said the government should remove the housing levy from workers’ payslips, arguing that the programme was imposing an additional burden on Kenyans.
“The payslip has a burden of 1.5 percent going to the housing levy,” he said, calling for the deduction to be scrapped.
He also questioned whether the people targeted to benefit from the programme would ultimately be able to afford the houses being constructed.
“When you do these houses and no one can afford them, what are you going to do with them?” he posed.
Senator backs greater private-sector role
Maanzo argued that the government should allow the private sector to play a greater role in housing development.
He said government efforts should focus on social and affordable housing for Kenyans who genuinely need assistance, while private developers take on a larger share of housing construction.
The senator said affordability remained a major concern, particularly for workers whose incomes may not be sufficient to purchase some of the homes being developed under the programme.
Ruto defends 1.5pc deduction
Maanzo’s criticism comes amid an ongoing political debate over the Affordable Housing Levy and its impact on workers’ take-home pay.
Under the Affordable Housing Act, 2024, employees are required to contribute 1.5 per cent of their gross salary, with employers making a matching 1.5 per cent contribution. The Kenya Revenue Authority is responsible for collecting the levy.
President Ruto has defended the deduction, arguing that workers should consider the levy alongside increases in their salaries.
“Mimi nataka niwaambie, ile 1.5pc imekatwa kwa payslip. Sisi tumeongeza mshahara by 10pc. Sasa ukiambiwa utoe 1pc na ukaongezwa 10pc, umeenda hasara? Umerudi chini?” Ruto said during an engagement at State Lodge in Eldoret on August 29.
Maanzo questions affordability
Maanzo further argued that a significant number of Kenyans expected to benefit from the housing programme may not have sufficient incomes to purchase the units.
“A lot of people who are supposed to benefit from these houses cannot afford them at all. They don’t have the salary. They don’t have the money,” he said.
His remarks add to wider criticism over the affordability, financing and allocation of units under the government’s housing programme.
What the law provides
The Affordable Housing Act, 2024, provides the legal framework for the levy and establishes the Affordable Housing Fund. The law sets the employee contribution at 1.5 per cent of gross salary and requires an equivalent contribution from employers.
The Kenya Revenue Authority says employers must deduct the employee contribution from gross salary and remit it together with the employer’s matching contribution.
The levy is intended to finance affordable and institutional housing as well as related infrastructure under the Act.
