AFFORDABLE HOUSING – A PLAN FOR KENYANS OR A THROWBACK TO THE ERA OF PUBLIC LAND GRABBING?

By Munira Ali Omar 

Behind the Affordable Housing plan,
Lies the Tale of an illicit plan,
Promises made of grand dreams,
Yet underneath, a dark scheme,
Planned with greed in mind,
To profit from the hustlers & the vulnerable kind.

Affordable Houses built on impunity,
Leaving many without dignity,
Development devoid of humanity,
Development devoid of order,
And disrespect for court orders,
Causing illegal evictions & disorders.

Houses Built on lies and theft of public land,
Oh, Illegal Affordable Housing Plan,
A plan so Grand,
That appeared promising at first glance,
To steal Public Land,
And to commit Economic Crimes.

A narrative of lies,
Meant to prey on hustlers who tirelessly grind,
Who struggle to find a humble abode,
But now find themselves trapped in this deceitful code.

Every hustler must own a house,
The president so declared,
His vision so grand,
To favour the rich,
And not the hustlers in need.

A plan to enhance decency among the hustlers,
So the president said,
A narrative of lies,
The hustlers decry.

Hopes demolished & hustlers traumatized,
And further, they are marginalized.
Profit-driven Agenda,
In the name of progress,
Leaving the hustlers homeless.

Behind the Ambitious Housing Plan,
Inequality lies,
Leaving hustlers with nowhere to reside,
Executive policies,
Working for the colonial masters,
Instead of hustlers.

Law of the land trampled & aspirations crushed,
Housing For Who? Haki Yetu Asks,
Housing at what cost?
The questions, they ask,
Their cause, so just.

To exacerbate inequality,
Rather than alleviate poverty,
In the corridors of power, decisions were made,
Challenging the system, is what remains,
In the corridors of justice, A​nti-Utu policies must be changed.

(This work was originally published byThe Platform Magazine)