- AHB promises fresh housing allocations for about 300 verified Mukuru applicants.
- Another 164 enumerated residents who missed out are also set to benefit.
- Some units will be reclassified as social housing to address the allocation dispute.
The Affordable Housing Board (AHB) has announced plans to correct a wave of missed allocations in Mukuru, promising fresh units to about 300 residents who paid deposits but were locked out when demand outstripped supply.
AHB Chief Executive Officer Joe Mutugu made the pledge during a meeting with aggrieved Mukuru residents, after weeks of uproar over housing units that had gone missing from the allocation list.
He said his team had identified roughly 300 genuine Mukuru applicants who had applied earlier but lost out purely because demand for the units far exceeded what was available.
Mutugu said those confirmed as bona fide Mukuru residents would be prioritised in a fresh round of allocations, describing the exercise as part of the Board’s response to concerns that surfaced after units in the settlement were handed out.
Complaints followed months of protest
The commitment follows sustained protests in Mukuru, where residents accused the Boma Yangu programme of allocating houses unfairly, with some saying they only learned units were sold out after paying their deposits.
Questions have persisted over how applicants who had already expressed interest ended up excluded, and whether the allocation process was transparent.
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The State Department for Housing and Urban Development has said the allegations are being verified, with affected applicants to be identified and addressed accordingly.
Enumerated residents also to benefit
Beyond the 300 new cases, the Board has flagged 164 residents who were enumerated before construction began on the Mukuru project but did not end up with houses.
Mutugu said both groups, the 164 enumerated residents and the additional 300 verified applicants, would be accommodated by reclassifying some affordable housing units as social housing.
He acknowledged that demand for social housing in Mukuru had simply outstripped what the project could offer, which he said was the root of the allocation dispute.
By Benedict Aoya
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