Varsity students voice support for controversial Housing levy

KUSO President Antony Manyara.

University students have come out to support President Ruto’s Affordable Housing Programme (AHP), saying it will solve the accommodation challenges most of them face.

Through their umbrella body Kenya Universities Student Organization (KUSO), the students criticized those opposed to the plan as self-seeking politicians who do not care about the plight of majority of students.

“A disheartening spectacle unfolds as politicians hijack this cause, painting it with the brush of politics. To the President, we assert with resolute certainty: not even the highest office can stifle this surge of progress. While not every Kenyan may secure a home, our mission ensures that their offspring will thrive in affordable, secure, and dignified accommodations within our educational institutions,” said Antony Manyara, KUSO President.

“A mere 16 percent (of students) find refuge within school-provided accommodations, leaving the majority to grapple with slum-dwellings or exorbitant private developments. These places, marred by insecurity, breed an unsettling panorama of risks; including assault, rape, violence, and theft,” he added.

In the strongly worded press statement, the students pointed out that they have suffered for too long as they have had to grapple with all these challenges amid expectations to excel academically.

According to Manyara, while promises of 2021 dissolved into thin air, the strides made in 2023 towards inclusive student housing in the national plan offer a glimmer of hope for nearly 70,000 students.

Manyara, who is also President of the East African Students Union (EASU), stated that Ruto embraced a visionary agenda to remedy the housing crisis plaguing the country.

“The Affordable Housing Levy embodies a monumental leap towards a future where opportunities are not just a privilege but a fundamental right. Opposition to this crucial initiative only serves to obstruct our nation’s journey towards economic transformation,” he added.

By Roy Hezron

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