Uhuru says housing among four key issues to receive attention
President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses Kenyans at Moi Sports Center, Kasarani on December 12, 2017 during 54th Jamhuri Day celebrations. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
The big four plan will build on the foundation laid during Jubilee’s first term in sectors such as transport, electricity distribution, education and ICT.
In the plan to have an estimated 500,000 Kenyans own houses, the government will reduce the cost of mortgages and cut the cost of construction.
Low-cost funds will be raised from the private and public sectors for investment in large-scale house construction.
Food security, affordable housing, manufacturing and inexpensive healthcare are the key areas President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration will focus on during his final term.
The President, who described the pillars as the big four, said he will use them to transform Kenya economically and leave a lasting legacy after his five-year tenure.
He said his administration will henceforth shift from politics and concentrate on the four issues for the improvement of Kenyans’ lives. “During the next five years, I will dedicate the energy, time and resources of my administration to the big four,” said the President.
“The big shift from politics for politics’ sake to the politics of production is a beacon of hope. However, I know it will attract cynics and pessimists but we will not be distracted. Let me emphasise that the big shift cannot and will not be achieved by me and Jubilee alone. It will need all of us.”
FOUNDATION
He spoke during the Jamhuri Day celebrations at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi.
This was his first national day function following his swearing in on November 28 for his second and final term after the Supreme Court upheld his re-election in the October 26 repeat presidential poll.
The big four plan will build on the foundation laid during Jubilee’s first term in sectors such as transport, electricity distribution, education and ICT.
In a detailed breakdown of his economic blueprint for the next five years, the Head of State cited job creation as one of his administration’s priority. This will be achieved through the expansion of thee manufacturing industry.
In 2013, the Jubilee team pledged a million jobs a year but had a shortfall of 200,000, with 10 per cent of that in the formal sector, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) figures show.
FORMAL JOBS
The creation of formal jobs dropped by a third last year from 128,000 in 2015 and 134,200 in 2013, the KNBS report, also known as the Economic Survey 2017, showed.
To improve these statistics, the government plans to focus on four sub-sectors: the blue economy, agro-processing, leather and textiles.
In the plan to have an estimated 500,000 Kenyans own houses, the government will reduce the cost of mortgages and cut the cost of construction through the use of innovative technologies and materials. Low-cost funds will be raised from the private and public sectors for investment in large-scale house construction.
