Boma Yangu Explains Why You Can't Rent An Affordable Housing Unit

Kenya's Ministry of Lands and Housing has clarified that units built under the Affordable Housing Programme are not available for ordinary rental, addressing growing public confusion over the matter. The State Department for Housing and Urban Development said the programme was designed specifically to support homeownership rather than rental-only occupancy.

The clarification followed repeated public queries about whether the units could simply be rented. One citizen described being told no rental units existed, with only rent-to-own options available, and asked why that was the case.

In its response, the state department stated plainly that the Affordable Housing Programme supports homeownership, not rental-only occupancy, and confirmed there is no option to rent a unit directly from the programme.

Those seeking to occupy a unit have two routes available through the Boma Yangu platform. The first is the Tenant Purchase Scheme, which allows a beneficiary to move in after paying a mandatory five percent deposit, then make affordable monthly payments toward the unit's purchase price while living in it.

Once payments are completed under that scheme, the beneficiary receives a Sectional Title Deed formally confirming ownership. The second route is outright purchase, where an applicant pays the full price upfront and is issued the same Sectional Title Deed as proof of ownership.

The state department clarified that once a beneficiary becomes the legal owner, they gain full discretion over how to use the property. That means an owner can continue living in the unit themselves, rent it out to someone else, or use it for other lawful purposes entirely.

Officials reiterated that the programme's underlying objective is to help Kenyans acquire homes as part of a broader effort to reduce informal settlements and slum housing across the country, positioning ownership rather than rental access as the intended outcome from the outset.