The Principal Secretary, State Department for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga has said that the 1.5% Housing levy is compulsory for all Kenyans both in the formal and informal sectors.

Do you have a lead on a newsworthy story? Share news tips with us here at Hivisasa!

Speaking on Tuesday night at Citizen TV, the PS noted that the housing program is a private-public partnership which must be achieved.

"The housing fund levy is compulsory because it is funded through a public-private partnership (PPP) model, where the investor wants an assurance of cash flow," he said.

He added that what they, "are implementing is a medium-term program towards attaining what is in line with Vision 2030.

Hinga said that the initiative will continue even after 2022.

The housing levy drew a heated debate after the government issued a notice to all employers ordering them to start deducting employees housing levy from their salaries effective May 1 2019.

The PS, however, explained that the housing levy is not a tax and does not only target the three million Kenyan employees but also the voluntary contributors.

"3 million people in employment are not the only ones targeted. There will be those in the voluntary contribution category," he maintained.

Affordable housing is one of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda for the country which he is bent on achieving by 2022.