Sifuna Makes Major 2027 Promise to Kenyans, Vows to Scrap Housing Levy
Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna has promised to wipe the housing levy off the books if the opposition manages to snatch victory in the 2027 general elections – and he’s throwing more shade at President William Ruto’s administration over how they’re siphoning off cash from Kenyan workers’ pay packets.
Sifuna is still hammering home his complaint that Kenyan workers are shouldering way too much of the financial load via the housing levy, and social health contributions through the SHA framework.
Posting on X, Sifuna laid into the government over those deductions, while hinting that things would change if the opposition got its hands on the till after 2027.
Sifuna Promises to Scrap Housing Levy in 2027
Sifuna reckons the opposition will junk the housing levy as part of an overall review of government spending if they come out top in the 2027 poll.
He thinks chopping back on what he sees as unnecessary government spending will help make life a bit easier for Kenyan workers under financial strain.
“In 2027 we’re going to cut the crap out of our budget and give hard working Kenyan boys and girls a break. The housing levy goes, and so does Ruto,” he added.
That puts the housing levy firmly in the mix of policy squabbles which are likely to be all over the airwaves in the run up to the 2027 general election.
Sifuna Questions Housing Levy and SHA Deductions
The senator also wasn’t too happy about the deductions attached to the housing levy and the country’s brand new health financing system.
In his X post, Sifuna ranted:
“Is he done grumbling about the 24K I pay towards his housing nonsense, and now he’s got the nerve to go off about the 43K I pay every month for his SHA racket. We need to get real about this,” Sifuna went on.
In the process, he was again having a go at the government’s approach to automatically deducting cash from workers’ salaries.
Sifuna has described the housing levy and SHA contributions as a real burden though, but labelling them scams is a bit more of a partisan call.
Senator Criticises State House Spending
Sifuna threw some serious shade at government expenditure at State House, pointing out that the Ksh500,000 collected each month in Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes was basically going to buy tea and mandazi.
That pretty much got him ranting about what he sees as reckless spending by the administration, while ordinary Kenyans keep paying their taxes like model citizens.
The senator even went so far as to accuse the government of having no shame in raking in public revenue while treating taxpayers like dirt.
That little outburst of his has got people talking once again about the state of government spending and taxation in this country.
What the Housing Levy Means for the Average Kenyan Worker
The affordable housing levy is a tax that the government takes out of people’s wages to help fund a government-led housing programme.
But here’s the thing – the levy is not optional – it gets taken out of eligible employees’ pay, and their employers also have to chip in.
Not surprisingly, this programme has become a hot button issue, lots of people are talking about how much workers contribute, how the money is managed, and whether it really ends up helping people out.
Sifuna has just announced that if the opposition gets in next time around, he’s going to scrap the levy. What that would actually mean in practice would depend on the specific rules that get put in place.
How the Housing Levy Differs From Other Contributions – SHA
Sifuna had a bit to say about both these deductions, but it turns out they serve different purposes.
The housing levy is there to help fund the government’s affordable housing initiative, while SHA contributions are going towards the country’s health system.
And just like the housing levy, SHA contributions have been the focal point of public discussion about deductions from pay, being good stewards of public funds and actually getting something useful out of the money you contribute.
Sifuna’s comments are a good reminder that government spending, how money gets used and who benefits – all these issues are going to stay centre stage in the lead up to the 2027 election.
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Sifuna Makes Major 2027 Promise to Kenyans, Vows to Scrap Housing Levy
