Housing PS Charles Hinga sweats over new tax declaration
Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary (PS) Charles Hinga found himself in a tight spot as he sought to explain the controversial Housing Fund to Kenyans.
Dressed in a black short-sleeve shirt, the PS sought to convince Kenyans the Housing Fund as proposed by President William Ruto was a good deal.
But amid the explanation, his body appeared to struggle with the weight of expectation.
Flanked by State House spokesperson Hussein Mohammed, the PS’s explaination lasted more than an hour alongside the gestures before his body appeared to give way to beads of sweat which dripped across his face as he broke down the probable use of the 3% tax that could soon be levied to Kenyans.
At some point, he was forced to pull-out a white handkerchief to wipe the sweat that kept flowing.
He conceeded that just like the sweat he could not control, he was aware that Kenyans had trust issues with the project, including whether the cash deducted from their payslip will be used for the intended purpose.
He also stressed that those who contribute to the Housing Tax will be refunded incase they do not get the house.
“Why we are struggling with this Housing Fund is because of three things; trust deficit. We must put in enough safeguards so that we can be able to win trust; believability and that is why we had to do the piloting program,” he said.
President Ruto recently announced that Kenyans will contribute 3% of their income towards the Housing Fund, an amount that will kick start their journey towards owning a house.
Employers are also expected to contribute the same amount for their employees.
Nairobi News had earlier reported the Head of State urged Kenyans to assist in contributions towards the housing fund saying it is a project that will help the country solve the challenge of affordable housing.
In a recent television interview, the President said it was unfortunate that millions of Kenyans still live in slums.
He asked Kenyans to make the contributions towards enabling an improved standard of living to their colleagues in lower settlement areas. But the proposals has been met with skeptisim among Kenyans some who wonder why they should contribute to the Housing Fund whereas they already own houses.
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