Two National Assembly committees have lined up meetings to collect views from the public on the Affordable Housing Bill 2023 despite a court order barring the exercise.
Finance and Housing, Urban and Public Works committees will hold meetings with the public in 12 counties for a week.
The High Court in Kisumu last month issued conservatory orders stopping the public participation of the Affordable Housing Bill 2023 pending further directions.
The planned meetings will be held in Machakos, Narok, Uasin Gishu, Meru, Nyeri, Nairobi, Mombasa, Kwale, Homabay, Kiambu, Bungoma and Nakuru.
"We have finalised all logistics and are ready to receive views from the public. We have over 100 memoranda from the public,” the chairperson of the Finance Committee Kimani Kuria said.
The petitioner Grassroots Trust said the House should conduct adequate public sensitisation, especially targeting marginalised groups as they may not know the content of the Bill before collecting views.
The Affordable Housing Bill 2023 has already undergone the First Reading. It was taken to the floor following a High Court order that declared the housing levy unconstitutional.
Racing against time to regularise the levy, Majority Leader and Kikuyu Lawmaker Kimani Ichung'wah on December 7 tabled the Bill to create a legal framework to oversee the Affordable Housing Levy.
The Affordable Housing Bill 2023 has been at the centre of focus as President William Ruto has vowed he will do whatever it takes to ensure the implementation of the flagship project.
He has maintained that he will not keep quiet as courts put on hold his development plans.
Ichung’wah has maintained that the meetings will proceed stating the court order only prohibits the submission of a memorandum.
“The orders did not prohibit Parliament from conducting any other form of public participation,” he argued.
He added that the High Court held that the affordable housing framework requires a comprehensive legal framework hence the introduction of the Bill.
