KISUMU, Kenya, Jan 29 – A Kisumu human rights crusader on housing has declined to appear before the joint National Assembly housing and finance committees conducting public participation on affordable housing levy.
Lawrence Apiyo, a member of the Housing Rights Coalition Kenya was expected to appear before the committees today in Nairobi.
However, Apiyo says he failed to travel to Nairobi to give his submissions on the housing levy due to a number of factors.
“While I appreciate this invitation as a recognition of what I, my organization and the Housing Rights Coalition Kenya stands for in regards to this matter, I humbly decline the invite,” he said.
He says the environment is already toxic and felt that his submission will not be taken into account.
“It is not safe and the whole process is not convincing that it is going to give any better results,” he said.
Apiyo says the process is faulty and chooses to stick with the Judiciary for any arbitration into the whole housing levy saga.
Addressing the press in Kisumu on Monday, Apiyo says the utterances made recently by President William Ruto points to a conclusive process.
“The statements made by the leaders of the Kenya Kwanza administration are not only threatening but also have spoiled the environment for any meaningful public engagement with the process,” he said.
Apiyo who is also the coordinator of Grassroots Trust further noted that their attempts in October last year to meet the departmental committee on housing to interrogate some of the sticking issues was ignored.
He says already he has challenged the process in court and would not wish to travel to Nairobi on taxpayers’ money to participate in the process.
Apiyo further questioned why Kisumu County was excluded from counties where public participation was conducted.
“If surely they wanted my contribution, why did they omit Kisumu, what justification do they have,” he said.
