Ruto Promises Teachers 20 percent Share in Affordable Housing Units

Nairobi, September 13, 2025 — President William Ruto has announced that teachers will receive 20 per cent of all housing units under the government’s Affordable Housing Programme, making them the latest group to benefit from the flagship initiative.

Speaking on Saturday at State House during the Walimu na Rais forum, which brought together thousands of teachers from across the country, Ruto said his administration would formalize the arrangement through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with teachers’ unions.

“Today we are going to sign an MoU so that teachers can get 20 per cent of all the housing we are constructing,” the president declared, drawing cheers from the packed audience.

The pledge positions teachers as the second profession to secure a reserved share of the programme, following a similar allocation for members of the disciplined forces. In 2023, the government committed 20 per cent of affordable housing units to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), National Police Service, Prisons Department, National Youth Service, and other security agencies.

At the time, Ruto announced that uniformed officers would benefit from credit facilities at interest rates as low as three per cent per year. As of September 2025, 792 units earmarked for the disciplined forces had already been completed and handed over under the supervision of then-Defence CS Aden Duale.

Teachers hosted by President William Ruto at State House on Saturday, September 12, 2025/PCS

The president also revealed that national football team players, Harambee Stars, would benefit from subsidized housing, with the state paying half the cost of two-bedroom units valued at KSh2 million. The remaining balance, he said, could be offset through long-term mortgages with monthly payments as low as KSh2,000.

Beyond housing, Ruto assured teachers that his administration was working on a “lasting solution” to challenges facing the teachers’ medical insurance scheme, a matter that has repeatedly sparked disputes between educators and service providers.

The Affordable Housing Programme is a cornerstone of Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which aims to address Kenya’s urban housing deficit while stimulating job creation in the construction sector. The government targets to deliver 250,000 units annually, though progress has been slowed by financing hurdles and legal battles over the Housing Levy.

Teachers’ unions welcomed the announcement, saying it marked recognition of the profession’s role in nation-building. However, education stakeholders urged the government to clarify the criteria for allocation to avoid politicization and ensure transparency.

With the latest pledge, teachers join security forces and athletes as priority beneficiaries of a project that Ruto has insisted will reshape Kenya’s housing landscape.