Gov’t seeks World Bank, EU funding to remove cancer-linked asbestos roofs

The government is seeking tens of millions of shillings from international financiers, including the World Bank and the European Union, to facilitate the removal of harmful asbestos from housing units across the country.

This follows Cabinet approval for the removal of decades-old, cancer-linked roofs, which will be replaced with modern, environmentally friendly materials.

According to Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga, the government is engaging global partners to support the exercise, which he described as too costly to be undertaken by the government alone.

“As a nation, we have determined that we are going to remove asbestos, but the main issue is that it is very expensive. It is not just like iron sheets where you can just decide to remove them today; Asbestos can only be removed by experts who now how to it, and NEMA is leading the process," he said.

"Removing cancer-linked asbestos roofs requires huge funding and special handling, and we are engaging international financiers to provide the support.”

He noted that under the State Department for Housing, more than 120,000 housing units require asbestos removal, a process demanding both significant funding and specialised expertise.

Addressing the press during a tree planting exercise at Naivasha Boarding Primary on Friday, the PS said the government remains on course to deliver affordable housing to Kenyans.

So far, Hinga said, more than 257,000 units are under construction across the country, engaging over 300,000 workers daily.

He added that the government is also building 147,000 student accommodation units to address housing shortages in learning institutions.

The PS said the housing programme seeks to restore dignity and provide clean homes for more than seven million Kenyans currently living in informal settlements.

He observed that housing remains a global challenge, with 1.6 billion people living in slums worldwide, adding that Kenya is leading efforts in affordable housing, backed by the monthly housing levy.

PS Hinga dismissed the politicisation of the programme, noting that Kenya has received recognition from African and international leaders for implementing the initiative.

The PS, who led students and officials in planting more than 1,000 trees, said the government is also focused on combating the effects of climate change.

He cited prolonged droughts and heavy rainfall that have caused deaths and property destruction, describing climate change as a real and urgent threat.

Hinga welcomed President William Ruto’s directive to establish 300 tree-growing sites supported by the Kenya Forest Service and the Kenya Wildlife Service to raise seedlings for the 15-billion-tree initiative by 2032.