President William Ruto has once again assured Kenyans that his Affordable Housing Programme will create more jobs.
On Tuesday, while launching the Affordable Housing Internship Programme at State House, he said his government plans to bring in 4,000 more young professionals.
This new batch will include graduates from different fields such as engineering, architecture, surveying, law, and even modern areas like artificial intelligence and marketing.
According to the President, these professionals will help speed up the housing projects while at the same time giving young people meaningful job opportunities. He said this will improve supervision on construction sites and help meet the country’s housing goals faster.
“We want to bring on board another 4,000 professionals to increase supervision and accelerate the work we want to achieve,” President Ruto said during the launch.
Since 2023, the President has repeatedly said the housing plan is creating thousands of jobs. In October 2024, he stated that 140,000 jobs had already been created. By November, the number reportedly rose to 164,000. A month later in December, he claimed the figure had reached 200,000.
However, the 2025 Economic Survey tells a different story. According to official government data, the private construction sector, where most of these housing projects fall, actually lost 2,900 jobs between 2023 and 2024.
The number of people employed in that sector dropped from 226,300 to 223,400. On top of that, while many housing projects have been launched publicly, only about 1,200 housing units had been fully completed by the end of 2024. These facts have left many Kenyans wondering if the job numbers being shared are real or just inflated figures meant to show progress.
Some citizens now feel that the jobs being talked about may only be temporary or created just for show. There are concerns that the opportunities might not last beyond the photo sessions and press releases.
Despite the questions and concerns, President Ruto continues to defend the housing programme. He insists that construction companies involved in the projects are overwhelmed and in need of more workers.
He also encouraged professionals to guide and mentor the young interns joining the programme.
“We believe what could be done in two years, we can now do in one,” he said, expressing confidence that things will move faster going forward.
But with many young people still struggling to find jobs and the economy facing challenges, many are asking whether these job promises are based on real plans or just raising hopes without solid outcomes.
Only time and independent verification will confirm whether the jobs are truly being created or if the public is being misled by optimistic speeches.
