NAIROBI, Kenya — Safaricom PLC will cover airtime and mobile data costs for interns recruited under the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP), Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has announced.
Speaking on Friday at the State House in Nairobi, Hinga said Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa was committed to the support during engagements held in December 2025.
“I have a special mention to Safaricom,” Hinga said. “When we met the CEO in December, as we were handing over Mukuru, they expressed a passion to support the interns. Today, Safaricom has said that all the airtime and data used by the interns will be paid for by the company.”
Hinga added that the telecommunications firm is also considering issuing tablets to the interns to support their work on construction sites.
“They are also considering giving each intern a tablet,” he said.
Under the programme, interns will be deployed to specific affordable housing construction blocks across the country, where they will support technical supervision and project oversight based on their professional training.
“In one block, everything happens,” Hinga said. “You have plumbers, engineers, gas installation. The interns will supervise and oversee various disciplines depending on their qualifications.”
The Housing PS confirmed that interns will receive a monthly government stipend, guided by Public Service Commission (PSC) regulations.
“They started their jobs early this month, and they will receive their first stipend next week,” he said.
In July 2025, the PSC opened more than 4,000 internship positions under the AHP targeting recent graduates.
The advertised roles covered a wide range of professional areas, including architecture, civil engineering, construction management, electrical and mechanical engineering, quantity surveying, structural engineering, environmental studies, geoinformation, health and safety, urban and regional planning, land surveying, landscape architecture, communications, and social development.
Additional positions were announced in accounting, finance, data analysis, information and communication technology, artificial intelligence, supply chain management, legal services, plumbing, gas and refrigeration inspection, valuation, property management, gender and development studies, economics, actuarial science, and human resource management.
Applicants were required to hold a diploma or bachelor’s degree from a recognised institution and to have graduated not earlier than 2018.
The Affordable Housing Programme is a flagship government initiative aimed at expanding access to low-cost housing while creating jobs and skills opportunities for young professionals across the construction value chain.
