COTU WARNS AGAINST POTENTIAL MISUSE OF HOUSING LEVY

The Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) has expressed concerns over possible mismanagement of the Housing Levy after Parliament introduced new regulations.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, COTU warned that the Affordable Housing Regulations could create a loophole enabling Members of Parliament to divert levy funds toward projects unrelated to their primary objective delivering decent and affordable housing for Kenyan workers.

The statement highlighted that under the new rules, housing levy funds could be wrongly allocated to construct health facilities, pre-primary and basic education centres, fire stations, police posts, social halls, markets, and open spaces all under the label of "associated social infrastructure.

While reaffirming its support for the Affordable Housing Programme, COTU stressed that it would not tolerate the diversion of workers' contributions away from their intended goal: providing homes for its members.