Principal Secretary Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu during a meeting on extention of affordable houses to the diaspora community, June 5, 2025. / ROSELINE NJOGU /X
When Roseline Njogu, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, sat down with her counterpart from Housing and Urban Development, Charles Hinga, it wasn’t just another policy meeting.
It was a conversation about home.
Specifically, how to make it possible for millions of Kenyans living abroad to plant roots back in the country — not just emotionally, but physically — through the government’s Boma Yangu Affordable Housing Programme.
“Held a consultative meeting with Principal Secretary, Charles Hinga, to discuss the Affordable Housing Programme tailored for Kenyans living abroad,” Njogu said after their meeting.
The idea behind the initiative is simple but powerful: give hardworking Kenyans in the diaspora a clear, credible, and affordable path to own a home in the motherland.
Interest from abroad has been steadily growing, with Kenyans working in the Middle East, Europe, North America, and beyond eager to invest in homes — not just for future retirement, but to stay connected to their heritage and families.
To meet this demand, a special diaspora housing portal has been launched: https://bomayangu.go.ke/participants/diaspora-home-applicants.
It’s designed to make the process seamless and transparent. All it takes is a few clicks to begin the journey home.
Also present at the meeting were Jeremiah Simu, chair of the Affordable Housing Programme Board, and Glenns Etyang, Deputy Director of Operations at the State Department for Diaspora Affairs — all reinforcing the message that the government is listening, and responding.
The push to include diaspora voices comes on the heels of a major milestone: the completion of the Boma Yangu Affordable Housing Project in Homa Bay county.
But this is no ordinary housing estate.
It has earned the prestigious EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) certification, making it one of Africa’s first affordable housing projects to be globally recognised for green building and sustainable design.
From the red soils of Homa Bay to the high-rises of London and the bustling streets of Dubai, the message is clear: Kenya is building not just houses, but futures.
The Boma Yangu programme features three types of homes — social, affordable, and affordable middle-class — ensuring there’s something for everyone, no matter their income bracket.
Social housing units, designed especially for those emerging from informal settlements, are priced from as low as Sh640,000. Even more astonishing: Kenyans earning under Sh20,000 a month can enter a rent-to-own scheme with monthly payments as little as Sh3,900.
For many, that’s less than a mobile phone bill abroad.
“This is unprecedented,” Njogu remarked, and indeed it is — not just for Kenya, but for the continent.
In a world where owning a home can feel out of reach, Boma Yangu is quietly rewriting the rules.
And for Kenyans in the diaspora, it’s more than bricks and mortar; it’s a promise, a promise that no matter how far you go, there’s always a place you can call home.
