By Alex Maina
According to the Boma yangu official website, the Affordable Housing Program (AHP), launched in 2017 under Kenya’s Big Four Agenda, is a lifeline of hope to many citizens in Kenya. It is about rebuilding dreams, restoring dignity, and creating opportunities that last a lifetime. With a bold vision of delivering 500,000 affordable homes nationwide, the program goes beyond shelter it breathes life into families by opening doors to jobs, stability, and pride. And in Kidiwa-Kapsuswa, that promise is a reality unfolding every single day.
For years, countless families in Kidiwa lived on the edge of survival. Unemployment and low incomes cast a heavy shadow over households, where parents lie awake at night wondering how they will feed their children or pay tomorrow’s fees. But with the Kidiwa-Kapsuswa Phase One construction site, the winds have changed. Work has come home, and with it, hope has returned to hearts that had almost given up.
Take the story of Mama Lezan, a resilient mother of three. Before this opportunity, life was a daily battle. She survived on irregular, back-breaking jobs that barely kept her children fed. Every school term was a reminder of what she couldn’t afford, every evening a worry about what tomorrow might bring. But when the housing project began, her name was among those chosen for work. Today, she earns 500 Shillings a day. To many, it may sound like a small amount but to her, it is freedom. It is the joy of sending her children to school without shame. It is the relief of knowing there will be food on the table. And above all, it is the dignity of standing tall, no longer helpless, but empowered.
Then there is Kevin, only 22 years old, yet already carrying the heavy weight of struggle. Before the project, he drifted from one odd job to another, some days finding nothing at all. Hunger was familiar, and his dreams seemed far away. But the day the construction site opened its gates, Kevin stepped forward with determination. Gumboots on, helmet strapped, he embraced the work with pride. Now, as a laborer, his daily wage does more than sustain him it gives him purpose. Kevin is no longer just surviving. He is building himself, his family, and his community.
And there’s Mama Risho, once relying on washing clothes to scrape together a few shillings. Her husband worked too, but their combined efforts were never enough. Every coin was stretched thin barely covering rent, barely putting food on the table. Stability was a dream always just out of reach. Today, things are different. With her steady income of 500 shillings a day from the housing project, she no longer watches helplessly as her family struggles. She contributes, she provides, and together with her husband, they now raise their children with less fear and more peace. Their household, once full of uncertainty, now feels secure.
These are not just individual stories they are the heartbeat of a community being lifted. The Affordable Housing Program in Kidiwa-Kapsuswa is proving to be far more than bricks and mortar. It is about dignity reclaimed, families strengthened, and futures rewritten.
