Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has come under fire after saying that monthly contributions to the Housing Levy do not guarantee home ownership. 

Wahome instead said that the deductions should be viewed as a tax.  

“The money you are contributing is not meant to give you a house; it is helping us build the houses. After that, it is up to you to pay for the house,” Wahome said on NTV, Wednesday.  

She explained that the government is not giving out free homes but facilitating a rent-to-own model.  

“We are not building and handing you a house. We are building and allowing you to maintain it through rent. It is like a tenant purchase arrangement, you rent to own,” she said.   

Under the Housing Levy, salaried Kenyans contribute 1.5 percent of their gross income, with employers required to match the amount.  

“The deduction is a levy or tax. I think it is easier to call it a tax, although it is a levy specifically for building houses to enable Kenyans to access affordable homes,” said Wahome.  

Her remarks have sparked sharp reactions, with many Kenyans questioning the fairness of the levy.   

“That is a scam. Imagine paying Sh3 million to help someone build a house, then buying the same house for Sh3m. Isn’t that double payment? And you still continue paying to build more houses that you may never own. It’s a pyramid scheme,” wrote Nahashon Kimemia.  

Another critic questioned, “You help fund the construction, but the house doesn’t belong to you when it’s complete. Is that not theft?”   

X user Sholla Ard added, “The beauty of this government is that they can never sustain a lie for long.”  

The Housing Levy was introduced to address Kenya’s housing shortage and the expansion of informal settlements.  

“This affordable housing program is not a Kenya Kwanza initiative; it is a government one. We found it ongoing, but its take-off was not well structured,” the Lands CS said. By Stephanie Wangari , The Standard

Sudan opposition forces have postponed the announcement of the formation of a parallel government in  Nairobi, again.

This was after supporters assembled at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre(KICC) in Kenya’s capital. 

Speaking at the event on Tuesday afternoon, Rapid Support Forces(RSF) deputy leader Major Gen Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo announced that they will form a new peace government in the next four days.

RSF leader Mohamed Dagalo popularly known as "Hemedti" was not present. 

Sudan People Liberation Movement leader Ablihaziz E Hailo emphasised the importance of the event in Sudan’s history

"We create problems for ourselves, and we can solve them on our own. But this function today is unique in the sense that in the past, it was hosted by mediators but this is now for Sudanese themselves and we thank the Kenyan government for allowing this process to get the solution for the current issue", said Hailo. 

RSF claims the Sudan government headed by military commander General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has conducted injustices including; changing the currency, poor infrastructure, civilian deaths, and displacement. 

The paramilitary now vows that the new government they intend to form will be constituted by civilians who have suffered the atrocities.

Initially, the meeting held today was scheduled for Monday but was postponed. 

The meeting comes after Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq visited the country in January convinced that Kenya had revised its position on the Sudanese conflict.

"Nairobi has reconsidered its position towards Sudan based on the new developments in the war, the idea of the RSF taking power in the country is over," al-Sadiq said. By James Wanzala, The Standard

Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, broke his silence over the continued detention of the country’s opposition figure Kizza Besigye.

In a lengthy statement, Uganda’s head of state acknowledged seeing numerous concerns raised over the state of the opposition leader who was picked in Nairobi and transferred back to his homeland country to face charges at a military court. 

Responding to the online reports and push by some of Uganda’s opposition leaders, Museveni sustained his hard stance insisting that Besigye must be subjected to a legal process.

“I have seen the concern by some Ugandans regarding the remanding of Besigye for the very serious offences, he is alleged to have been planning. If you want a stable country, the more correct question, should be: “Naye Besigye bamukwatila ki? Why was Besigye arrested?” The answer to that is a quick trial so that facts come out. Otherwise, you are promoting insecurity which is very dangerous for the country. Nobody in the world can easily give us lectures on reconciliation and forgiveness because that is part of our doctrine right from the 1960s,” part of Museveni’s statement read in part.

No vengeance

While referring to a past instance involving Idi Amin, Museveni argued that his administration would not forsake the principle of accountability.

He made it clear that he had no vengeance against the detained opposition figure but he only wanted him to answer to the charges levelled against him.

“We are not for vengeance but the danger of the killers must be removed. Therefore, the correct answer in the matter of Besigye is a quick trial,” Museveni remarked.

At the same time, Museveni pointed an accusing finger at the recent court ruling in Uganda which barred the military court from prosecuting civilian courts. 

Uganda’s president explained that the ruling slowed the case progress. Nonetheless, he challenged Besigye through his legal representation to push for the case expedition.

“Who slowed down the trial process? It is the Courts that pointed out some gaps in the Military Courts and they ordered the transfer of the cases to Civilian Courts. The concerned People are, therefore, working on two fronts. Transfer the files to the Civilian Courts from the Military Courts and the Gov’t and the legislators to close the gaps in the Military Courts.

“If you are innocent, why do you not demand for a quick trial so that you can prove your innocence and expose those who are “persecuting” you instead of demanding bail, and forgiveness, as if serious crime is also entitled to holidays?” Museveni posed.

Besigye’s hunger strike

On Monday, February 17, 2025, it emerged that Besigye was on hunger strike after he was rushed to a private medical facility in a prison ambulance as his health was deteriorating.

Responding to the hunger strike issue, Museveni termed it blackmail seeking to attract sympathy. He further dismissed reports that Besigye had been denied medical attention detailing that his private doctor had been granted permission to attend to him

“On the issue of sickness, there is, first of all, a Gov’t hospital in the Prison. Besides, Dr. Besigye’s personal doctors have been visiting him and even taking him to private clinics. If there was need for any additional medical care, the government would be advised.

“However, in this case, Dr. Besigye, was on a hunger strike. That is part of the cause of his weakness, as we can see in the pictures in the newspapers. Is that not unprincipled blackmail? How can you be accused of serious crimes and, then, your response is hunger strike to generate sympathy for getting bail, etc.? Why don’t you demand a quick trial? The military court was ready for the trial. Let us wait for the civilian court.”

Those providing arms, carrying out arms transfers need to be reminded that they have obligation to ensure that such arms are not used in violations of international humanitarian law, spokesperson says