President Ruto honoured as Global Champion of Adequate Housing in New York

President William Ruto has been recognised as the Global Champion of Adequate Housing for All.

This is in recognition of the global leadership that Kenya has demonstrated in addressing the global challenge of a lack of adequate and decent housing.

The President was honoured during the High-Level Roundtable of the Global Champions on Adequate and Affordable Housing on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

Presidents Duma Boko (Botswana) and John Dramani Mahama (Ghana), and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach were among the leaders present.

At the meeting bringing together 25 countries, the United Nations, development partners and local banks to adopt a historic Call for Action on Adequate and Affordable Housing, President Ruto proposed a Coalition of Global Housing Champions.

Additionally, the President also called for the creation of a Coalition of Global Housing Champions, a high-level political platform of like-minded Heads of State and Government advocating transformative and inclusive housing policy and practice. 

At the same time, he called for joint international efforts to tackle the global housing crisis.

The President noted that the challenge is too vast for any one country to solve and stressed the need to harness the power of multilateralism.

He pointed out that the focus should be on rallying political will and mobilising resources.

He urged the United Nations to adapt to current realities by being fit for purpose, impact-driven, and responsive to the needs of the world.

“In this vision, UN-Habitat is indispensable, linking global aspirations to local transformation,” he said.

President Ruto called on nations to embed housing to national development strategies and recognise it as central to Sustainable Development Goals, climate resilience, and social equity.

He also advocated mobilisation of scaled-up and predictable financing through stronger support for UN-Habitat, partnerships with financial institutions, and innovative models that match the scale of the challenge.

“Without adequate and predictable financing, adequate and affordable housing will remain out of reach,” he said.

Additionally, he said there was a need to forge coalitions for action by uniting governments, cities, the private sector, and communities to make housing a reality and not just an aspiration.

“We must align with related UN initiatives, especially Resolution 2/2 on transforming informal settlements and the ‘Building Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor initiative,’ which Kenya and Brazil proudly co-lead,” he added.

The President said Kenya is leading from the front with the Affordable Housing Programme, which is being rolled out to ensure every citizen has access to the dignity of a decent home.

“Our ambition is to deliver 200,000 affordable units each year, not just as shelter but as engines of job creation, urban renewal, and equity,” he said.

He stated that nearly 170,000 units are already under construction under the programme, creating 320,000 jobs.

“This number will double to 650,000 in the weeks ahead as the programme scales,” he said.

He explained that to achieve this ambition, barriers to building affordable housing have been removed.

He said public land has been made available and thus cutting costs, while tax incentives have been introduced to lower construction expenses and encourage private sector investment.

“These deliberate choices anchor affordability while ensuring developments are well-planned, serviced, and integrated into urban transformation,” he said.

The President explained that Kenya has anchored the housing agenda on the Affordable Housing Act 2024 and a Housing Levy to fund settlement upgrades, while also expanding access to home loans through the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company to make ownership affordable for low- and middle-income families.

“Our success will not be measured by the pledges we make, but by the communities we uplift, the roofs we raise, and the dignity we restore. Housing must not be the privilege of a few. It must become the reality of all,” he pointed out.

President Mahama commended Kenya’s Affordable Housing Programme, saying it has inspired him to implement it in Ghana especially on the aspect of financing through local resources.

He noted that although housing is a basic human right, it is always overshadowed by other pressing budgetary demands.

“This is the time to reposition housing so that our people can get decent places to live in,” he said.

President Boko expressed hope that strategies employed by African countries will address the huge housing deficit in Africa.

Ms Rossbach praised nations that have placed housing at the centre of their agenda, noting that Kenya’s housing levy was a measure of tackling the financing challenge.