Nairobi — The National Treasury has set aside Sh1.5 billion for the Affordable Housing Internship Programme, an initiative launched by President William Ruto to empower fresh graduates and boost job creation in the country's construction sector.
Speaking during the official unveiling of the programme, Lands, Housing, and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome emphasized the government's commitment to not only create employment but also enhance skills transfer within the housing sector.
The one-year internship targets recent graduates from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and universities, with a focus on integrating them into ongoing and upcoming affordable housing projects across the country.
"The treasury has already secured Sh 1.5 billion for this internship program and we should have a plan and think of where these interns will go after the 12 months because we do not want to abandon them as government," she said.
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CS Wahome underscored the critical role of universities and training institutions as key sector players, noting that they will be instrumental in equipping the interns with the necessary technical expertise to contribute meaningfully to housing projects.
"This one-year Internship program will include new graduates from Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions as well as our universities. The universities will be key sector players in the building sector," she revealed.
Wahome also called upon professional firms and consortiums involved in construction and housing to support the initiative by offering placement and mentorship opportunities to the young graduates.
While launching the internship programme on Tuesday, President William Ruto revealed that the initiative plans to absorb 4,000 professionals who will help scale up supervision and accelerate the pace of implementing the project across the country.
Ruto revealed that the fresh graduates from TVETs institutions and universities will be hired to work under professional firms involved in the project.
"We want to bring on board another 4,000 professionals into this space. Young graduates from our TVETs and universities to work with you and your farms and work with us so that we can scale up the level of supervision and accelerate the work that we want to achieve in the affordable housing program," he said.
The government targets the construction of 200,000 affordable housing units annually under the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP).
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