NAIROBI, Kenya, May 5 – The government has attributed delays in paying interns under the Affordable Housing Programme to a payroll mix-up, even as concerns grow over missed stipends.
Speaking during an interview on NTV, State Department for Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga said no payments had been processed, including for senior officials, due to an administrative error.
“It is true that the interns have not been paid; actually, no one has been paid yet, including myself,” he said.
Hinga explained that the delay arose after human resource teams combined two separate payrolls—one funded through the exchequer from the National Treasury and another financed through the housing levy.
“A mistake occurred when HR combined the two payrolls—the exchequer one and the one for the interns. The interns were supposed to be paid by the 25th because the money for them is already available,” he said.
He noted that the mix-up made it difficult to separate the payments, forcing interns—whose funds were already available—to wait for exchequer disbursements.
The government launched the Affordable Housing Internship Programme last year, targeting about 5,500 young professionals for a one-year, non-renewable term across sectors such as construction, engineering and architecture.
Hinga maintained that the delay was not due to a lack of funds and assured that payments would be processed once the exchequer is released.
“The money is there; it was just a payroll mix-up. These are young people, and this stipend makes a huge difference for their daily expenses,” he said.
He added that the funds were expected to be released imminently, with interns likely to receive their payments within days.
